Judge in Coca-Cola Case Rules Against Australian Territory’s Container Deposit Law

MELBOURNE, Australia—A firm partly owned by Coca-Cola has succeeded in blocking an Australian territory’s container deposit scheme, with the Federal Court ruling that the program conflicts with a national law designed to prevent undue restrictions on the sale of goods (Coca-Cola Amatil (Aust) Pty Ltd v. Northern Territory of Australia).

The Northern Territory (NT) introduced its “cash for containers” scheme, which provides a A10-cent (10.2-cent) refund for returned empty beverage containers, on Jan. 3, 2012.

Coca-Cola Amatil (Aust) (CCA) has been a longstanding and vocal critic of container deposit schemes, arguing that they are highly inefficient and expensive. ...