The Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) helps to reduce litter from our streets, increases recycling and helps reduce the amount of rubbish being disposed to landfill.
Find out about information for industry participants.
Expanded CDS
The CDS will expand on 1 July 2026 to include any beverage container of up to 3 litres in volume. This means containers such as wine, spirits and plain milk containers will be regulated containers.
Regulated containers
Regulated containers PDF (590.7 KB) are types of beverages and containers that the Territory CDS applies to.
Regulated containers will have one of the following 10 cent refund markings on the label:
- 10c refund at collection depots/points in participating State/Territory of purchase
- 10c refund at SA/NT collection depots in State/Territory of purchase
- 10c refund at collection depots when sold in NT.
It is an offence under the CDS for a retailer to sell regulated containers that are not registered for sale in the Territory.
If you are unsure if a product is registered, please contact the Container Deposit Scheme team.
Collection depots
Collection depots are the public access point to the Territory's CDS.
Get 10c back in your pocket for each container you take back to a collection depot.
Collection depots are not required to accept any container that is unclean or contaminated.
To reduce your waiting times at the collection depot, ensure your containers are:
- Clean
- Not crushed
- Sorted into material types.
If you return more than 1,500 containers to a collection depot within any 48 hour period, you will need to sign a declaration form stating that the containers were purchased in the Territory and were purchased after 3 January 2012.
Community groups, sporting clubs and schools
Community groups, sporting clubs and schools can get involved by providing collection bins at events, the canteen or providing the opportunity for the community to donate their containers.
Consider how the containers will be sorted, stored and transported to a collection depot to raise funds for your organisation.
The CDS isn't just about fund raising, it's also a great way to motivate kids and club members to clean up the local environment.
CDS targets and policy roadmap
CDS targets have been set by the Minister for Environment to incentivise increased beverage container returns, recovery and recycling of container materials.
The targets will be implemented in a staged approach, as set out in a policy roadmap. The roadmap explains the approach to monitoring and evaluating performance against targets and setting new targets in subsequent stages.
This commences with stage 1 aspirational (voluntary) targets for 2 years from 1 July 2024.
The regulator will monitor CDS data and progress towards meeting the voluntary targets. The success of these targets will be evaluated to determine what targets may be needed for stage 2 and subsequent stages. Key stakeholders will be consulted before any mandatory targets are introduced or regulatory changes are made.
Container Deposit Scheme - stage 1 targets instrument PDF (126.1 KB)
Reports
View the reports on the CDS on our publications and advice section.