Container deposit scheme: beverage container litter

The Key Littered Items Study has tracked changes in beverage container litter since the 2017 introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme.

2023–24 CDS litter

  • The density of CDS littered items increased by 50% from 2022–23 to 2023–24.
  • The volume of CDS litter in NSW increased by 50% from 2022–23 to 2023–24.
  • Since before Return and Earn was introduced in December 2017, eligible CDS beverage container litter has fallen significantly - 74% in density and 66% in volume.
  • In 2023–24 CDS litter accounted for 4% of the total litter item density, compared to 11% in 2017, and accounted for 37% of total litter volume, compared to 53% in 2017.  

Top 10 CDS littered items by density