Extended Producer Responsibility
Next time you purchase a product why not ask what happens to it at the end of its life?
Leichhardt Council supports Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR provides the incentive to producers to design products for longevity, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling by making them responsible for their products throughout the entire life of the product. EPR schemes include up-front levies, deposit-refunds, such as Container Deposits and physical take-back of products eg for electronic wastes (e-waste) i.e. computers, TV’s; batteries. In Australia most EPR Schemes are voluntary for the take-back of products.
Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) 
90% of Australians surveyed by Clean Up Australia support a 10c deposit-refund on bottles and cans.
Cash for Containers
Campaign
Visit the Boomerang Alliance Campaignor Clean up Australia for more information and ways to support Container Deposit Schemes. Sign the online letter to the Minister for the Environment
Australia's National and State Environment Ministers will be considering a solution to our packaging litter mess in June 2012.
Join Bev the Bottle's campaign to increase the recovery of bottles and cans by at least 4 billion per year!
About 50% of our containers are consumed away from home. Sending these items to landfill just doesn't make sense! 10 cent deposit gives a tangible reward for returning resources for recycling. To find out more download the CDS Background Information sheet 
CD Fact Sheet - TEC 2011 (75.18kB)
Advocacy
Leichhardt Council has a long history of advocating for EPR schemes, including Container deposits. Please see the documents below for examples of letters/reports regarding the introduction of various EPR schemes.
National TV/Computer Product Stewardship Scheme
FedMinisterTV/ComputerJune 2011 (8.56kB); Minister 2 TV/Computer Scheme (11.20kB)
LGSATV/Computer Scheme (11.75kB)
Container Deposit Legislation
Garrett Container Deposit (298.21kB); Garrett2container deposits (12.31kB)
The Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, BEc MP
Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (Container Recovery) Bill 2008 - 16 KB
To Ian Cohen MLC
Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (Container Recovery) Bill 2008 - 9 KB
Summary Report on the implementation of the NSW EPR Priority Statement 2004, by the EPR Expert Reference Group - January 2006
EPRERGreport - 52 KB
Reports and Publications
Turning Rubbish into Community Money - Liz Ingham and Colleen Hartland; Data and financial analysis by Dave West - Western Metropolitan Region, Vic, 2011 Turning Rubbish into Community Money (4.84MB)
Reuse and Recycling Systems for Selected Beverage Packaging from a SustainabilityPerspective - PwC, 2011
Reuse and Recycling Systems for (9.84MB)
Tipping Point - Australia's E-waste Crisis - Total Environment Centre, December 2008.
Tipping Point - Australia's E-waste Crisis - 1,714 KB
Container Deposits: The Common Sense Approach Towards a Zero Waste Society - Background Briefing - Dave West & Abby Symes, April 2008.
Container Deposits - 870 KB
Framework for Extended Producer Responsibility - Total Environment Centre- December 2003.
TECEPR report - 26 KB
Boomerang Alliance
The Boomerang Alliance brings together Australia's leading *environment groups, to work for zero waste in Australia. The main focus of the Boomerang Alliance is the nationwide adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies and practices, including Container Deposits, to ensure that, eventually, all discarded products and packaging are either reused or recycled. Visit their website on the above link for more information.
*The Boomerang Alliance members include the Australian Conservation Foundation; Clean Up Australia; Friends of the Earth; Greenpeace Australia Pacific; NSW Local Government and Shires Association; Nature Conservation Council of NSW; & Total Environment Centre.