The Government's announcement of a container return scheme, set to be implemented in 2022, is just "kicking the bottle down the road", the National Party says.
In February, the party proposed a container deposit scheme through current recycling or by placing the responsibility onto the beverage sector - with the hope that 90 per cent of bottles would be saved from landfill.
Today, the Government announced work was underway to create a container return scheme, requiring beverage bottles to have a refundable deposit of about 10-20 cents.
Almost $1 million would go to the Auckland Council and Marlborough District Council to design and develop the nationwide scheme. It was estimated a scheme could be operational by 2022.
National's environment spokesperson Scott Simpson said he was pleased the Government "at least acknowledged schemes are worth exploring".
"My immediate concern is the $1m allocated for two councils to investigate schemes. What worries me is that they’ll do awful lots of work, international travel, when really the Ministry for the Environment should be just getting on with it.
"$1m seems they're just contracting out what policy makers should do," he said.
The Government has pledged $1m to help develop a new scheme which could make old bottles worth up to 20 cents each.
Mr Simpson said the Government were slow to act, had come to it reluctantly and were just "kicking the bottle down the road".
"It shows a lack of urgency," he said.
However, Greenpeace, the NZ Beverage Council, the Zero Waste Network, Our Sees Our Future and the Product Stewardship Council welcomed the Government's moves.
The Kiwi Bottle Drive's Holly Dove said in a statement that "bottle refunds are the next logical step in moving toward a zero waste society, by closing the loop on single-use plastic bottles".
When asked about the timing of the scheme, Ms Dove told 1 NEWS container deposit schemes often took a certain amount of time to implement to avoid operational issues.
Greenpeace's Jessica Desmond said it was "crucial the scheme here is not run by one of the very companies responsible for the plastic crisis".
Marty Hoffart of the Zero Waste Network said a container return scheme could help New Zealand shift to protecting the value of recycled goods.
"Much of New Zealand’s recycling is still collected in commingled wheelie bins and public recycling bins, which can produce damaged and contaminated recycling. Introducing a container return scheme will help us shift to a better system."
The New Zealand Product Stewardship Council (NZPSC) called the announcement a "big deal".
"This would mean far better recycling rates and much less plastic escaping into our environment," said Hannah Blumhardt.
"One of the most important things for ensuring we get the best scheme possible, is who is involved in designing it.
"Removing cost barriers to participation for some stakeholders, such as community groups, will be essential for ensuring the community voice is heard."
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