A push to introduce a bottle refund scheme to encourage greater recycling is nothing more than another unnecessary and costly tax on business and consumers.

The State's peak business organisation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia, is concerned that the State's political leaders are being pressured to implement such a scheme when there is no evidence that it delivers meaningful benefits.

While the idea looks good on paper, evidence shows there has been no increase in the amount of waste recycled in states that have introduced this tax.

Instead, a container deposit tax will increase the cost of doing business in Western Australia, leaving manufacturers no choice but to pass on the additional costs to consumers at a time of already high grocery prices.

CCI believes the tax would penalise all consumers by adding around $25 per week to the average shopping basket. The price of a carton of beer or soft drink could increase by $3.50.

While the Western Australian business community already plays an important role in protecting the environment, imposing further regulation and costs on business is not necessary.

Rather than imposing another costly regulatory burden on business and ultimately the community, a greater emphasis should be placed on existing kerbside recycling programmes, which despite their widespread use and acceptance by households across the State, can still be improved.

Statement by CCI Executive Director, Industry Policy, Trevor Lovelle