Exchange for Change (EfC) has announced the new fixed price per material type for supplier contributions that fund the ACT Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), effective for 12 months for invoices issued from February 2023 to January 2024 (inclusive).
"Today's announcement is the first change in pricing for supplier contributions that fund the ACT scheme since the introduction of long-term fixed pricing in February 2021. We're proud to have maintained the previous pricing for 12 months during what has been an uncertain economic environment," said Danielle Smalley, CEO of Exchange for Change, scheme coordinator of the ACT CDS.
The ACT scheme operates on a cost recovery model with beverage suppliers paying a fixed price per material type. Pricing is calculated to cover the expected operating costs of the scheme during the pricing period, with any surplus funds or shortfalls factored into future pricing.
The current weighted average price per eligible drink container supplied into the ACT for the six-month period from August 2022 to January 2023 is 12.23 cents (excluding GST).
From February 2023, the new weighted average price (excluding GST) per eligible container will be 11.96 cents.
"Providing pricing certainty and stability for suppliers in a key priority for us at Exchange for Change. We have undertaken robust modelling to accurately forecast scheme costs for the period ahead. This has included reviewing four years of supply and redemption data for the ACT and the latest consumer research insights, as well as consultation with the beverage industry," Ms Smalley said.
More than 366 million containers have been collected through the ACT CDS since commencement, including over 195 million through its return point network resulting in more than $19.5 million in refunds back in the hands of the ACT public.
"The ACT CDS continues to go from strength-to-strength, achieving one of the highest redemption rates in the country with 75 per cent of containers supplied into the ACT being redeemed through the scheme.
"This is an extraordinary achievement which in no small part is thanks to the beverage industry working together with government, the waste and recycling industry and the ACT community to achieve a more sustainable future," Ms Smalley said.
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