In a major boost to recycling efforts across New South Wales and South Australia, each state’s container deposit scheme is set to expand to accept wine and spirit bottles and larger drink containers.

The container deposit scheme – which is now active in every state and territory – is the most successful recycling program in Australia’s history and is also incredibly popular with more containers collected every year.

Each state’s recycling scheme has already seen billions of eligible bottles and cans recycled – tackling litter, reducing pressure on landfills and rewarding people for their recycling behaviours.

Now even more residents and businesses will benefit from the 10-cent refund for returning a wider range of bottles and containers, while making it a smoother transition for industry.

The expansion across both states will see nearly half a billion additional beverage containers returned each year, saved from landfill and sent for recycling.

Each container deposit program will grow to include:

• Wine and spirits glass bottles
• Cordials and juice concentrate containers
• Larger containers of up to three litres of beverages that are already in the scheme, like flavoured milk, fruit and vegetable juice.

Plain milk and health tonic containers will continue to be excluded from the schemes.

Changes in NSW Return and Earn coming late-2027

These new containers will not be accepted at refund points immediately, giving the wine and spirits industry time to adjust and allowing collection points and systems to ramp up for the additional new containers.

New South Wales and South Australia will enact these changes by late-2027.

Queensland has already integrated glass wine and spirit bottles into their container deposit scheme. Western Australia committed to expanding their scheme during their recent state election. The Northern Territory has also recently announced it will bring in legislation to expand its scheme.

As the states work together to implement these changes, people are encouraged to keep recycling these containers through their kerbside bins, until collection points are ready.

SA and NSW will be jointly inviting peak bodies representing key industries to further engagement on implementing these changes.

NSW Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe said:

“The Container Deposit Scheme is fantastic for the environment, great for our recycling industry and also puts money back in people’s pockets. It’s also incredibly popular with more and more items collected every year.

“By expanding to include more types of beverages, it’s estimated at least 27,000 tonnes of materials will be saved from landfill each year in NSW.

“It’s really important that people don’t try to take their wine bottles to a Return and Earn machine tomorrow. We’re working with industry to ensure a smooth transition and to ensure return systems will be ready to handle the new containers by mid-2027.”

TOMRA Cleanaway CEO, James Dorney:

Congratulated the NSW Government and NSW EPA on the scope expansion announcement, saying “It is fantastic to see the NSW Government and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) acknowledge and celebrate the success of Return and Earn, delivering exceptional environmental outcomes.”

” This scope expansion will mean even greater outcomes for a wider range of containers, with bottle-to-bottle outcomes for billions of containers.”

To read the full Ministerial media release, please visit the NSW Government website here.

If you have further questions, please visit the NSW EPA’s website FAQ’s on scope expansion.