Network operator appointed for NSW container deposit scheme

NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton has announced that a joint venture between Cleanaway Waste Management and TOMRA Systems has been appointed the network operator for the impending NSW container deposit scheme (CDS).

According to Upton, the scheme will be “the biggest initiative to tackle litter in the state’s history and it will make a massive difference to the amount of rubbish on our streets, parks and waterways right across NSW”.

“It will also provide a fundraising opportunity for charities, schools, community and sporting groups, which share in millions of dollars every year through similar schemes elsewhere that have been running for decades,” she said.

The joint venture between Cleanaway and TOMRA will provide handling, transport, processing, recycling and data services from several hundred reverse vending machines which are set to be installed across the state. TOMRA will provide technology and software, and carry the investment for the technology, while Cleanaway will deliver the logistics and sorting of collected material, and act as broker for the related commodities.

Reverse vending machine customers will be provided with a 10-cent electronic refund in exchange for bottles and cans, which can be donated to charity, used as credit in store or redeemed for cash from one of several ‘redemption partners’. Collected containers will be processed through a counting and sorting centre in Western Sydney, before being recycled and sold into both domestic and export markets.

“As leaders in logistics and resource recovery, Cleanaway are proud to be involved in the CDS for NSW and help them achieve their environmental and sustainability goals,” said Cleanaway CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal.

“By partnering with an innovative leader like TOMRA, we’re leveraging the experience of the global leader in reverse vending technology to deliver these services in NSW.”

TOMRA’s president and chief executive, Stefan Ranstrand, added: “We are proud to be the preferred partner and to be part of a world-class container deposit scheme in NSW.

“We are very happy to enter into this partnership with Cleanaway, the leading waste management company in Australia. Our two companies are a great fit and together we are providing our core competencies into the role of network operator.”

Both companies have voiced their support for the scheme, with Bansal saying the NSW CDS is “an excellent illustration of how governments can work with industry to implement policies that drive behaviour change and environmental benefits for generations to come”.

Ranstrand added that a CDS is “the best way to promote closed loop recycling and make sure we are addressing the major challenges we see today”, claiming that “engaging with the consumer to make recycling relevant and personal is the only way forward to make sure we are efficiently taking care of and re-using the world’s resources”.

The majority of the collection points will be in place by December 2017, when the scheme is due to commence, with the remaining reverse vending machines set to be installed by February 2018. According to Bansal, both companies are “keen to work with other states of Australia that are currently considering implementation of similar schemes”.

Image caption: Cleanaway General Manager NSW David Clancy; Cleanaway Commercial Finance Manager NSW/ACT Ken Donley; and TOMRA Collection Solutions Managing Director Australia Markus Fraval.