On August 25 government ministers will meet in Canberra to discuss the return a national container deposit scheme where consumers could get 10 cents back when they return bottles and cans.

This scheme has been ongoing for more than 20 years with great success in South Australia where they have achieved an 80% recycling rate, and the Northern Territory has also reintroduced the scheme.

Community organisations have been a major benefactor of the recycling program with the South Australian scout groups pocketing $9 million a year from container deposits.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is part of 21 Non Government Organisations making up the Boomerang Alliance calling for a national container deposit scheme.

"We find containers make a huge percentage of the marine debris picked up during beach clean ups both in the Port Douglas region and nationally," said Tangaroa Blue co-founder Heidi Taylor.

"If these containers were worth money they wouldn’t become litter."

She said a number of local businesses aren't recycling at present, but if a scheme was introduced Tangaroa Blue would be happy to lend a hand to ensure recyclables don't end up at the tip.

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"Many companies in Port Douglas including resorts, bars, and restaurants don’t have recycling provided to them by Council, so all their beer bottles, cans, drink bottles etcetera all go to landfill.

"By offering a deposit scheme, if the business itself didn’t want to pick up the deposit, it could provide economic opportunity for someone else to collect and recycle these containers.

"Tangaroa Blue Foundation would be more than happy to pick up $9 million a year by taking part in the deposit scheme!"

The Boomerang Alliance is asking for people to show their support for this scheme, via their website, by sending a letter to the Environment Minister of your State to show your support.

"If this scheme came in nationally it would make a huge difference to the marine debris coming from local sources and also provide opportunities for remote and regional Australia to recycle their containers which mostly now go to landfill and in some cases just get burnt," Ms Taylor said.