Zero Waste SA – A Reverse Vending Machine Trial
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June 24, 2010Anna’s Story: The Amazing Adventure That Is Life
July 2, 2010South Australia has announced trials of ‘reverse vending machines’ (RVM), where can and bottle collectors can put their cans and bottles into a ‘hole in the wall’ for a return of their 10c deposit.
About RVM Technology
RVMs are common in European countries, Canada and some states in the USA.
The technology is similar to retail banking ATMs, but the RVM identifies, sorts and pays deposits on cans, bottles and cartons covered by container deposit legislation.
Over 1200 different types of container deposit beverage containers have been pre-scanned to be accepted by the RVM.
In SA the RVMs will be trialled at Centro Hollywood Shopping Centre, a joint partnership between the Shopping Centre, Statewide Recycling and RVM manufacturer Wincor Nixdorf.
SA’s Container Deposit System
For a long time now South Australians have supported deposits on beverage containers and the State processes over 540 million containers every year – the most in Australia. John Phillips, Keep SA Beautiful, says
“Our target of zero waste in South Australia is leading the nation, and combined with new technology and community support, we proportionately save more finite resources and divert more waste from landfill than any other State or Territory..
CDL has been successful in reducing litter in South Australia and following raising the deposit from 5c to 10c we have seen increased recycling levels that are the envy of the nation..
Community recyclers choosing to use the RVM will be assisted through the process of placing items into the ‘hole in the wall’ and collecting their payment during the trial period.”
Australian Government Position
The day-to-day management of waste is primarily the responsibility of the state, territory and local governments.
Since April 2008 the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) has been investigating alternative mechanisms for increasing the recycling of packaging and decreasing litter, including container deposit legislation, and the community’s willingness to pay for improved packaging recycling and reduced litter.
In March 2010, after considering the results of an investigation into these options (available at: www.ephc.gov.au/news) a Senate committee looking at the Beverage Container Deposit and Recovery Scheme 2009, recommended that
“(i) The EPHC advance its analysis of container deposit schemes without delay, ensuring that any further modelling draws on data derived from existing container deposit schemes and includes consideration of the model outlined in this bill..
(ii) The bill not be passed at this time.”
The Government has responded saying it is:
“Committed to working through the EPHC to develop an evidence base on which to make a decision regarding further work to address the community’s desire to recycle more packaging and reduce litter. Should the EPHC decide to proceed with further work, existing container deposit schemes, and the model outlined in this bill will be taken into account..
The Australian Government agrees that there is currently insufficient evidence to assess the merits of the proposed container deposit legislation and that a decision to implement such a scheme would not be appropriate at this time.”
Wonder if overseas experiences have been investigated?
2 Comments
I think South Australia is leading the country with this initiative which I’d like to see repeated around the country. In the ACT, I’m tired of seeing broken glass bottles everywhere on our roads, whether I’m walking or cycling, squashed plastic bottles and aluminium drink cans simply floating down the storm water drains.
Why do we put up with the rubbish (pardon the pun) peddled in this country by self-protecting packaging interests?
In the late 20th Century we have foolishly allowed the ridiculous notion that a product is “disposable” to suspend reality – that the product will not cause an issue after use.
This misnomer has allowed the sale of countless containers without any responsibility for the disposal of the vessel containing the product.
We have been mislead to think the container has no value – that the price we pay for the goods is for the contents, but the container forms a proportion of the cost.
The container has value as a raw material to be utilised in the manufacture of new containers, but this notion is resisted by the packaging interests.
I say, leave the packaging interests out of the solution.
Let us get up and running a national deposit legislation, and lets not compel the packagers / supermarkets / resellers to take responsibility for the return of the containers.
Let us establish “Container Recycling Centres” where the public may take their collections of containers and be paid there and then.
The centres will then sort and bundle-up the various containers into the classes of material – glass / plastic / aluminium / steel for collection by businesses who use these as feedstock for their production.
We know that it is far more economical to manufacture new glass, aluminium and steel from recycled resources than from the natural resources in virgin production.
Perhaps there will be new jobs created from such centres and their activity.
I have long held the belief that if the containers we see littered throughout our cities and rural spaces had a value when taken to a refund centre, we would not see them lying around for long.
Imagine if each container yielded 20c.
What a boon this would be for charities, people on low incomes and other interests who rely on fund raising to operate.
The bleating from the supermarket and retail sector that the deposit cost will cause prices to rise is ridiculous, because if you pay the deposit at purchase, you only need to return them to a Recycling Centre to have that deposit refunded.
If you are lazy or don’t care then you bear that cost, but someone else will surely take the containers from you to cash them in.
Tell me, who loses in this scenario?
– Litter from containers will be dramatically reduced.
– A new industry will begin and grow – creating employment.
– Valuable resources will be recaptured for reuse and thus reduce the waste stream to landfill.
– Our Citizens, of any age or background, will be conscious of the value of our earths finite resources and will be able to participate and “make a difference”.
– Money previously inaccessible to people will be able to be earned. I feel certain that if you were on a pension and knew if you collected 100 containers you would gain $20 extra you wouldn’t walk past a container lying in the street.
– On a global level we will gain by creating a consciousness about our impact on the planet and feel a sense of empowerment to overcome the greed that has led us down this ridiculously wasteful path in our Western societies.
– Children will see that their parent’s generation is doing something to improve the world they were born into.
What are the negatives to this appproach?
James Allison 21/8/2010