The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) said it was disappointing to see that Australia’s Environment Ministers have chosen to use tax-payers money to fund another study into a national Container Deposit Legislation (CDL) system.
According to AFGC, Australia’s Environment Ministers commissioned a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) into a national CDL as well as “a number of options which may have a positive cost benefit and a tangible impact on recovery rates and litter reduction” in Australia.
AFGC chief executive Kate Carnell said while industry will fully cooperative with the RIS process, it was questionable why Ministers needed another study on the merits and effectiveness of a national CDL, which offered a narrow approach to recycling and waste.
“It’s hard to see what value Environment Ministers will get from another study, especially after the last one by the BDA Group, which estimated the cost of a national at a massive $680 million a year following an error in the original economic costs,” she said.
However, Carnell said it was encouraging that Minister’s agreed to a strengthened Australian Packaging Covenant (APC), which commenced on 1 July this year.
The new APC is a partnership agreement between industry, all levels of Government and NGOs to manage Australia’s packaging waste over the next five years.