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.