The Tasmanian Greens today reiterated their long-held view that Tasmania should go it alone on container waste management and called on Environment Minister David O’Byrne to support Container Deposit Legislation (CDL) for Tasmania, after the National Environment Protection and Heritage Council met this week and once again delayed the implementation of a nationwide CDL scheme.
Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has made it clear that there is nothing stopping Tasmania from going it alone and declaring its own CDL scheme in the same manner as South Australia, which has had its own successful scheme for decades.
“For years successive State and Federal governments have done nothing about this straightforward issue which has led directly to container waste unnecessarily clogging our roadsides, playgrounds, waterways and landfill areas,” said Ms O’Connor.
“South Australia has had its own successful CDL scheme for decades, which has doubled recycling rates for container waste while also creating jobs, and there is no reason why Tasmania cannot follow SA’s lead and declare our own CDL scheme independent of the flagging national efforts on this issue.”
“In 2004 a Tasmanian Parliamentary Committee recommended the introduction of CDL in Tasmania, and even the Federal Environment Minister acknowledged this week that Tasmania can go it alone on this straightforward waste management issue.”
“The Greens are calling on the new, progressive Environment Minister David O’Byrne to move Tasmania into the 21st Century on waste management by implementing a CDL scheme for Tasmania,” said Ms O’Connor.
