Trouble cash-for-cans recycling scheme ‘hitting the hip pocket of every person in NSW’
CONSUMERS are out of pocket to the tune of $214.4 million as a result of the NSW government’s troubled cash-for-cans scheme and just one in five people are taking their containers to return points.
NSW
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CONSUMERS are out of pocket by $214.4 million from the state government’s troubled cash-for-cans scheme.
The Return and Earn scheme has cost an estimated $268.4 million since it began in December but only $54 million has been returned to NSW residents, figures supplied by the program’s operator show.
And only about one in five people, or 23 per cent, are taking their containers to return points where they can collect a 10c refund — with the majority of people preferring their normal recycling bins.
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Just 540 million containers were returned from an estimated 2.3 billion in the marketplace between December 1 to July 31.
The figures shed new light on government claims that the “colossal effort” invested in getting the litter reduction scheme up and running was “totally worthwhile”.
Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton yesterday said a 33 per cent drop in Return and Earn eligible containers in the litter stream since November was proof the program was working.
But the Opposition said it was “hitting the hip pocket of every person in NSW”.
Data from scheme co-ordinator Exchange for Change show the estimated costs from December to July averaged $33.5 million a month — borne by consumers in increased beverage costs, which have already risen up to $4 per carton of soft drink, beer or bottled water.
“No matter how the Minister tries to cherrypick the figures, the botched roll-out … is hitting the hip pocket of every person in NSW,” Labor’s environment spokeswoman Penny Sharpe said.
“Consumers are paying more and still not getting access to their 10c refunds.
“These figures show that the majority of people are still using their yellow bins to recycle rather than Return and Earn with little impact on recycling rates.”
Ms Upton accused Labor of using “back of the envelope maths” to criticise the program that had slashed litter and was now “a regular part of people’s lives and … funding community projects as well as improving our environment”.