Recycle Rewards

Background

Container refund schemes incentivise the return of eligible drink containers in exchange for a refund. The collected containers must then be recycled to ensure materials have future use. These schemes are an example of ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (often referred to as ‘polluter pays’) and are proven to both reduce public littering and improve recycling outcomes.

Tasmania’s container refund scheme will be called Recycle Rewards, and its two objectives – to reduce litter and increase recycling – will support the development of our circular economy.

Drink containers make up 45 per cent of Tasmania’s litter. It is estimated that Recycle Rewards will reduce this by almost 50 per cent, as well as double recycling rates of eligible drink containers.

Read the Explanatory Paper or watch the video below to see how the scheme will work.

Project Update - September 2024

TasRecycle Limited have been announced as Scheme Coordinator and TOMRA Cleanaway Tasmania will be Network Operator.

Once Recycle Rewards starts, people will receive a 10 cent refund for any eligible drink container returned to a designated refund point in Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Government's model for the scheme is a split responsibility involving a Scheme Coordinator to administer it, and a Network Operator to operate the network. There will be 49 refund points available state-wide, making Recycle Rewards accessible for all Tasmanians.

With drink containers making up to 45 per cent of Tasmania's litter it is estimated Recycle Rewards will reduce this by almost 50 per cent, and double recycling rates of eligible containers, which will reduce waste going into landfill and sustain the environment for future generations.

TasRecycle is a not-for-profit entity that was formed by Lion Pty Ltd, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Asahi Beverages to bid to become the Scheme Co-ordinator for the Tasmanian Container Refund Scheme. The partners have extensive experience in managing container refund schemes across Australia, with one or more of the companies involved in every Australian jurisdiction with a container refund scheme.

Legal Framework

The Container Refund Scheme Bill 2021 has passed through Parliament, supporting the Government’s vision of reducing litter and increasing recycling. The Bill passed the House of Assembly on 10 November 2021, and passed the Legislative Council unamended on 10 March 2022.

The Container Refund Scheme Act 2022 can be viewed on the Tasmanian Legislation website.

The draft Container Refund Scheme Regulations 2023 were released for public consultation on 3 May 2023, outlining key operational details stemming from the Container Refund Scheme Act 2022. The draft Container Refund Scheme Regulations 2023 are available. The public feedback period has closed, and submissions will be published shortly.