Health, Environment and Innovation Parliamentary Committee

Waste Reduction and Recycling (Strengthening the Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Bill 2026

This bill overhauls the governance of Queensland's Container Refund Scheme — the 10-cent bottle and can return program — following a parliamentary inquiry that found significant weaknesses in how the scheme is run. It gives the government much stronger oversight of the scheme coordinator (currently Container Exchange), requires an independent board majority, and expands the scheme's purpose to include supporting environmental and community programs.