Reuse Aotearoa’s submission on the New Zealand Government’s 2022 Transforming Recycling public consultation, which proposed a beverage container return scheme, standardisation of kerbside recycling, and requiring businesses to separate their food waste.

Our key asks

We support the implementation of a beverage container return scheme (CRS) for New Zealand. The CRS must be designed with an express goal of increasing the market share for reusable beverage packaging, from the outset (not “the future”).

Our three key asks are that:

    1. Reusable beverage containers are included in the CRS, or that producers using/providing reusable beverage packaging are able to opt-in to the scheme.
    2. The CRS includes binding and ambitious refillables targets that apply to the beverage sector as a whole, alongside granular and specific targets for individual beverage producers, retailers and hospitality outlets.
    3. The overall CRS scheme design and the scheme fee structure include various policy measures, incentives and targeted support to drive the uptake and growth of reusable beverage packaging, while disincentivising single-use packaging.