Drinks giants Coca-Cola Amatil and Lion in bid to run container deposit scheme
Two global beverage giants are vying to operate Tasmania’s long-awaited bottle recycling scheme.
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TWO multinational drinks producers have teamed up to push for the operation of an eventual container recycling scheme in Tasmania.
Beverage giants Coca-Cola Amatil and Lion have established a new non-profit entity called TasRecycle, with the aim of reducing the waste created by their industries.
“As major beverage manufacturers producing in and selling into Tasmania, we are 100 per cent committed to ensuring that Tasmania has a world-class container recycling scheme,” Jeff Maguire from Coca-Cola Amatil said.
Last year the Tasmanian Government committed to setting up a container refund scheme (CRS) by 2022, saying drink containers accounted for about 41 per cent of litter by volume in Tasmania.
Most other Australian states and territories already have a CRS, which allows for bottles to be swapped for cash at designated depots or so-called “reverse vending machines”.
Mr Maguire said TasRecycle aimed to become the facilitator of the Tasmanian scheme.
He said the new entity would not make a profit from the initiative, but would allow other organisations to do so.
“The scheme co-ordinator does not make a profit, but, importantly, incentivises scheme participants to do so,” he said.
He said a “producer responsibility scheme” model created commercial opportunities for organisations, charities, small businesses and councils and would ultimately create jobs.
Under the proposed Coca-Cola/Lion model, TasRecycle would be accountable to government, ensuring what Mr Maguire called “a robust governance framework”.
The state government previously said that a tender would be released for an organisation to run the CRS once modelling was finalised and legislation drafted in consultation with the community, businesses and industry.
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