The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has granted interim authorisation to a proposal by AgStewardship Australia Limited to expand the types of agricultural and veterinary chemical containers it accepts for collection and recycling.
In January 2009, the ACCC granted authorisation to AgStewardship to impose a
4 cent per litre/kilogram levy on the supply of agvet chemicals to fund an Industry Waste Reduction Scheme for the collection and recycling of empty containers and the disposal of unwanted agvet chemicals.
When the scheme was established, the range of acceptable containers was limited to rigid metal and plastic containers. AgStewardship is now seeking to vary the authorisation to enable a broader range of containers to be accepted under the scheme.
AgStewardship has also requested interim authorisation to allow it to begin a pilot program relating to the inclusion in the scheme of a new chemical container comprising of a cardboard box containing a light density plastic bag, developed by NuFarm.
Interim authorisation will allow AgStewardship to commence promotional activities relating to the pilot program for the inclusion of the NuFarm container in the scheme.
The ACCC will continue with its assessment of the application to vary the existing authorisation and expects to release a decision before the end of June 2011.
Authorisation provides immunity from court action for conduct that might otherwise raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Broadly, the ACCC may grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment.
The ACCC's decision will be available from the public register on ACCC website www.accc.gov.au/AuthorisationsRegister