Canberrans will soon be able to swap their empty soft drink cans for cash, with a container deposit scheme to be introduced in the ACT from early 2018.
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City services minister Meegan Fitzharris announced on Monday $800,000 would be set aside in next week's ACT budget or a feasibility study into a recycling scheme for drinks containers.
The ACT scheme would come into effect in early 2018 and would be funded as part of a $23 million package, which also includes money for graffiti removal, sportsground maintenance and a pilot schools crossing supervisor program promised before last October's election.
A spokesman for the minister said the shape of the scheme had not been decided but would most likely mirror that of NSW.
In a scheme being considered by NSW, 10 cents would be paid for every drink container between 150 millilitres and three litres, and displaying a NSW CDS label, when returned to a depot or reverse vending machine.
South Australia and the Northern Territory also have container deposit schemes and both the West Australian and Queensland governments will introduce their own schemes in 2018.
The feasibility study will begin soon and will include due diligence on NSW scheme to make sure it is compatible with the ACT scheme.
Once the scheme starts, it will be administered by a private company but monitored by the ACT government.
Container deposit schemes are industry funded - paid for through a levy on the cost of drinks.
The ACT's parliament first gave in principle support to a container deposit scheme in 2013, when the Legislative Assembly passed a motion moved by Greens leader Shane Rattenbury to support its progress.
The scheme gained further traction in 2015 when NSW first raised the idea. Then environment minister Simon Corbell asked his department to advise on the NSW plan and on whether Canberra should follow suit.
But Total Environment Centre director Jeff Angel said the ACT scheme would flop if there weren't collection points near local supermarkets and shops.
Mr Angel, who has been heavily involved in lobbying for the NSW scheme, said the more convenient the collection points were, the better the scheme would operate.
"The more convenient it is, the more people who'll use it. It affects the reputation of the scheme if people can't get money their back. A nasty aspect of it is that the company gets to keep [the money] if it's not recycled. It's not intended as a pay rise for beverage companies, it's intended as a way to maximise recycling. This is not being run for the benefit of big companies, it's being run for the benefit of the environment," he said.
Community groups like the Scouts are expected to benefit from the scheme.
ACT Scouts chief commissioner Rick Goode said they would watch the development of the ACT container deposit scheme keenly.
"We'll be keeping an eye on it to see what happens. We're always looking for opportunities for scouting and the development of youth and this could be one," Mr Goode said.
Mr Angel said there would need to be "robust enforcement" to stop people gaming the scheme and the government should look at tipping money raised through containers disposed of kerbside into community organisations.
"In the South Australian scheme, about 12 per cent of containers get put out on the kerb. Once you put rubbish out on the kerb it's owned by the local government authority, then the waste company owns it once it's been picked up. What's being worked out in NSW is how the local government authority and the waste operator share the 10 cents. At the end of the day it's still consumer money and it should be distributed into community funds," he said.
