Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The bottle refund scheme should be extended to cover all beverage containers, conservationists have said.

Friends of the Earth said that while it supported the introduction of the scheme the government is proposing, it should be extended to better meet recycling targets.

“We believe it is important to make the scheme more comprehensive. This will not only increase recycling rates, but also increase consumer awareness of the importance of recycling,” the NGO said in a statement.

The conservationists also submitted a list of recommendations “to make the scheme more effective”.

The scheme, the NGO said, should be widened to include the plastic packaging of products that have a relatively low viscosity but are not beverages, such as food items like syrups, vinegar, dressings and hygiene products including laundry liquid and soap and other household cleaning products.

Friends of the Earth also said the scheme should include non-plastic packaging such as glass jars. Preparations to introduce bottle recycling vending machines across the islands began in May, with the government launching a consultation paper on the scheme.

According to the document, the beverage container refund scheme seeks to encourage people to recycle plastic and glass bottles, as well as aluminium cans, by applying a refundable deposit to beverage sales.

A 10c deposit will be added to the price of beverages, with the money charged to retailers at the wholesale stage and then passed on to consumers. Consumers then ‘return’ the empty bottle to one of the vending machines at designated points to obtain a full deposit.

Friends of the Earth said the deposit for each bottle should be more than 10c. A rate of 25c per container or higher, it said, was more effective, since it would increase returns.

“This is particularly true when considering tourists and visitors, who will need a further incentive to trade their time for a deposit return,” the group said.

“Having a higher deposit charge would also introduce a value for material resources that go into the production of containers. This in turn could lead to higher recycling rates in the future – especially if the scheme is paired with an educational campaign.”

The NGO also argued that further monetary incentives should be given for those who opted for refillable containers.

Friends of the Earth questioned whether the proposed fines for bottles without the necessary barcodes were sufficient and urged the government to introduce the recycling vending machines in every locality.