WIMMERA councils want more information about a proposed drink container deposit scheme in Victoria.
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Horsham Rural City Councillors voted this week to write to Premier Daniel Andrews to request he introduce the scheme to help curb roadside rubbish.
Council wants Victoria to follow the NSW government, which this month announced it would introduce a container scheme in July 2017.
The Queensland government is also investigating whether to follow suit.
South Australia already has a deposit initiative, where people receive a 10-cent refund for returning used drink cans and bottles to nominated depots.
Ararat Mayor Paul Hooper said more research was needed to determine potential benefits and drawbacks of such a scheme.
“I’m happy to look at any evidence that would support Horsham council’s stance, but it’s hard to make a valued judgement without doing more homework,” he said.
“The last time this issue came up, which was some time ago, our recycling rates in Victoria were higher than South Australia’s.
“If that is still the case, bringing in a container scheme wouldn't solve the litter program and would add significant costs to the system.
“If we did bring in such a scheme, it would have to add value to what we already do.”
Yarriambiack Mayor Ray Kingston said the costs of introducing a deposit scheme would need to be looked at.
“However anything we can do to keep streets and roadsides clear of rubbish has got to be a good thing,” he said.
“Waste is a challenge in many ways – it’s really expensive for us.
“An upside of such a scheme is that it could provide an opportunity in some form for groups to collect drink containers as a way of fundraising.”
Victorian Environment Minster Lisa Neville last year ruled out introducing a cash-for-containers scheme in the state.
She said the move could have negative effects for the state’s kerbside recycling industry, and she supported Council of Australian Governments modelling that indicated a containers scheme could be expensive.
Ms Neville told The Age Victoria’s beverage container recycling rate last year was 81 per cent, higher than the national average of 73 per cent and higher than South Australia’s rate.
