Senator Whish-Wilson said it was vital that the government introduced the right policies and legislation to help keep Australia clean every day of the year.

‘‘One thing that is glaringly obvious in Tasmania is that we don’t have a refund scheme,’’ he said.

‘‘If you give economic value to something, it no longer becomes rubbish: that’s the fundamental principle behind refund schemes.

‘‘South Australia has got a very effective scheme. Highest recycling rates in the country for cans and bottles, 84 per cent. Guess what Tasmania’s is –  16 per cent.’’

New South Wales will introduce a CDS within the next few weeks, and Victoria is considering introducing a similar scheme.

The state government ruled out introducing a 10¢ deposit scheme  last December, after the release of the Marsden Jacob Associates report into the viability of the scheme in Tasmania.

The report found that a CDS in Tasmania would have an annual cost of $10 million, and that a Tasmanian-based scheme would not produce enough beverage containers to establish a viable domestic recycling industry.

Senator Whish-Wilson said he disputed some of the findings of the report.

‘‘Even if you assume that there will be a small cost to the economy, the actual costs of creating 300 new jobs, which we know the scheme will do, and getting our recycling rates up and cleaning up the environment, not to mention supporting Tasmania’s clean, green image, it’s an absolute no-brainer,’’ he said.

‘‘The big beverage companies say 10¢ on our cans and bottles affects our sales, and I’ve had a Senate inquiry into this, I’ve got them on the stand: there is no evidence at all it affects their sales.

‘‘I’m calling on the Hodgman government today to give the Tasmanian people what they want. Nine out of ten people in all our surveys support it across every political spectrum.

‘‘If they were really serious about our brand and about our environment and creating new jobs, they would bring in the scheme. ’’