Soft drink and beer prices set to rise
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>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.</span></p>
<p><span>It is estimated the cost of a 24-can pack of soft drink or beer could rise by $4.80.</span></p>
<p><span>“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,<span> told the </span><span><em>Daily Telegraph</em>.</span></span></p>
<p><span>The scheme named ‘Exchange for Change’ will see scheme co-ordinator Coca-Cola Amatil work alongside Asahi, Carlton & United Breweries, Coopers and Lion.</span></p>
<p><span>NSW Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi described the decision to put Coca-Cola Amatil in charge of the scheme as “utterly stupid”.</span></p>
<p><span>“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,” <span>she told Fairfax.</span></span></p>
<p><span>“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.”</span></p>
<p><span>The scheme aims to half the number of bottles and cans that are thrown away in parks, beaches and waterways.</span></p>
<p><span>The NSW government has also announced TOMRA-Cleanaway will be responsible for managing collection points across the state which will include reverse vending machines.</span></p>
