Last week Environment Minister Karl Hampton announced the first locations for collection depots that will play a pivotal role in the Territory Government’s new cash for containers scheme.
But while depots in Darwin, Alice Springs and Elliott are ready to recycle and pay 10 cents for cans from January 3, and a depot in Tennant Creek is opening in February, the Northern Territory Government has not been able to find recycling depot in Katherine.
A spokesman for Minister Hampton said only one business in Katherine had “indicated interest” to take on the recycling, but a contract had not been signed yet.
The spokesman said until a depot in Katherine was found and opened - in a time-frame still unknown - it would be up to people in the region to “decide what they want to do with their cans”.
“They can dispose of them as they used to do, hold on to them until Katherine gets a depot or take the cans to Darwin.”
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Applications to operate depots remain open and more organisations and locations are set to be announced closer to the scheme’s commencement next month.
"It is at these collection depots where Territorians will be able to take their containers and receive 10 cents in return for each item,” Mr Hampton said.
“Cash for containers is a step in the right direction to help clean up our environment and provide financial support to community and sports organisations.
“The Territory Government is the greenest in the Territory’s history and cash for containers will help meet targets within the Territory 2030 strategic plan.
“This includes reducing the amount of waste being taken to our rubbish dumps by 50 per cent by 2020.
“That’s why we are pushing ahead with our historic cash for containers scheme that will return 10c on each container returned when the scheme commences on 3 January 2012."
Mr Hampton said the model has worked in South Australia for decades and "Territorians want it here".
"History shows that prices for a basket of drinks should be no different across Australia," he said.
“I congratulate the operators of these first approved collection depots announced today with NTRS and Envirobank also being approved as scheme coordinators.
“Under this Government’s landmark cash for containers legislation, container deposit coordinators broker the flow of deposits and handling fees between manufacturers and collection depots and receive the empty containers for on-selling into the recycling markets.
“I expect that by January 3 next year we will have the foundations of a Territory-wide network of collection depots in place that can then further grow as the system matures.”
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