NSW Environment and Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton has pushed back the start date for its container deposit scheme.

The Container Deposit Scheme, which provides for a 10c refund on the return of most empty beverage containers, will now commence on 1 December instead of 1 July.

Minister Upton said the extension of lead time would help ensure that the scheme has maximum statewide coverage from its first day of operation.

Councils are backing the delay.

“This is an eminently sensible decision by Minister Upton and it has the sector’s full backing,” Local Government NSW President Keith Rhoades said.

“Councils spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year picking up litter, and would much prefer to be investing this money in other community services.

“The scheme has the potential to cut litter in NSW by up to 43 per cent, but the complexity of the collection and refund processes required have become increasingly clear.

“The five month extension announced by Minister Upton today will make it easier to ensure the supporting infrastructure and resources are in place before the scheme begins.

“It means there is also extra time to extend the scheme’s coverage into rural and regional local government areas.”

Container Deposit Systems (CDS) operate in over 40 jurisdictions around the world and are a proven and efficient way to recover litter and increase recycling of beverage containers.

The NSW model allows people to return empty beverage containers to nominated collection points for a 10c refund.

The scheme will cover a wide range of container sizes – from a 150ml sipper to a 3-litre jumbo bottle – and is expected to significantly reduce the estimated 160 million drink containers littered each year.