Soft drink and beer prices set to rise
Major beverage companies, including Coca-Cola Amatil, will oversee the NSW government’s container deposit scheme that could see the price of cans and drink bottles rise by up to 20 cents.
The scheme will be introduced in NSW in December and will involve customers handing in eligible cans and drink bottles to designated sites to receive a 10 cent refund.
Beverage suppliers will pay for the refunds as well as the scheme’s administration, which is expected to lead to a hike in soft drink prices.
It is estimated the cost of a 24-can pack of soft drink or beer could rise by $4.80.
“That starts to impact NSW households pretty heavily, not just on a per container basis, but when families are buying a 30-pack of soft drink cans or a carton of beer, all of a sudden that starts to have a pretty serious impact,” Australian Beverages Council chief executive officer, Geoff Parker, told the Daily Telegraph.
The scheme named ‘Exchange for Change’ will see scheme co-ordinator Coca-Cola Amatil work alongside Asahi, Carlton & United Breweries, Coopers and Lion.
NSW Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi described the decision to put Coca-Cola Amatil in charge of the scheme as “utterly stupid”.
“Big beverage companies like Coca-Cola have no interest in reducing litter or increasing recycling rates and will only work to sabotage and undermine the scheme,” she told Fairfax.
“The whole integrity of the container deposit scheme sits with the independence of the scheme co-ordinator. The Greens and other environment groups have consistently called for an independent third party to run the scheme.”
The scheme aims to half the number of bottles and cans that are thrown away in parks, beaches and waterways.
The NSW government has also announced TOMRA-Cleanaway will be responsible for managing collection points across the state which will include reverse vending machines.