Winemakers in Western Australia (WA) are fighting back against the state government’s expanding container deposit scheme (CDS).
Wine is set to be included in the CDS – known as Containers For Change – from July 1. So far, it allows consumers to return empty drink containers within the scheme back to a refund point for 10 cents.
The government says this scheme has saved 5 billion containers for recycling and diverted them from landfill, growing the state’s container recovery rate to 65 per cent.
“In addition, $16.77 million has been donated to charities, community groups and schools, with the scheme also supporting 846 jobs,” the WA government said.
But Friends of WA Wine, a consortium of winemakers in the state, said that the scheme’s expansion to include wine bottles will increase the cost per bottle by up to $1.25.
“The environmental benefit is marginal: 65 per cent of wine bottles are already recycled through kerbside. The CDS target is 67 per cent — a 2 per cent improvement costing WA consumers $4 million to 11 million per year,” the group added.
Calling it a “CDs wine tax”, the group said that new labelling, logistics, and compliance costs associated with the scheme make it “unviable”.
“From July 2026, wineries must pay a 14 cent CDS fee on every bottle,” the group said. “But that 14 cents doesn’t stay at 14 cents — every business that touches the bottle on its way to you adds their own mark-up on top.”
“By the time it reaches the shelf, that 14-cent fee has ballooned to $1.25.”
