Container Deposit Schemes
- South Australia

South Australia's Container Deposit Scheme was introduced in 1977 and has been effective in reducing litter, increasing resource recovery and reducing waste going to landfill.

The South Australian Container Deposit Scheme [CDS] is the longest running product stewardship program with the introduction of its Container Deposit Legislation [CDL] in 1977. South Australia’s overall return rate of beverage containers was 76.7% in 2019–20. Beverage containers make up only 2.8% of litter because of this refund scheme.

Much has changed since the scheme’s inception, including types of containers, consumer choices, technology and markets for recycled materials. The South Australian Environment Protection Authority’s [SA EPA] commitment to improving the scheme resulted in it commencing a review of the CDS in 2019.

There is a 10 cent deposit and refund on most beverage containers in South Australia. A comprehensive list of all eligible containers under the Environment Protection Act 1993, can be found here.

An interactive map of the approved collection depots across South Australia is available on the EPA’s website.

State CDS Information for Manufacturers

If you sell an eligible beverage container it must be approved by the EPA before being distributed or sold in South Australia.

Some beverage containers remain outside of the scope of the legislation – such as glass bottles used for wine and spirits, all containers for plain milk and large containers (more than one litre) for pure fruit juice and flavoured milk.

The EPA will assess both the refund marking on the container and the suitability of the Waste Management Arrangement (WMA) that has been established to ensure the 10 cent refund is available upon return of the container and the container is collected for recycling.

Information for industry operators can be found here
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