The Age reports the state government will announce a cash for cans and bottles scheme to fight Victoria's waste crisis in the coming weeks.

Victoria's recycling sector has struggled recently, as the Supreme Court ordered large scale operator SKM to stop accepting recyclable waste.

Read more: Container deposit recycling scheme support sought

Bendigo Sustainability Group president Trevor Smith said the amount of infrastructure required for a container deposit scheme would negate any benefits.

Mr Smith said the Victorian government should instead invest in education to prevent people making waste.

"Teach people not to buy stuff in containers. Take your own containers even to the supermarkets, minimise it as much as possible. There's a lot to change," he said.

"The deposit [scheme] is pretty much promoting the use of containers more, rather than dissuading people from it."

Read more: Should Bendigo homes get fourth, glass only bin

AAP reports the scheme would let people receive cash when they recycled cans and bottles at drop off points, typically 10 cents per item.

This would be operational from 2023.

Victoria is the only Australian state or territory without a running or planned container deposit scheme.

NSW introduced a container deposit scheme in 2017.

In NSW consumers can take eligible drink containers to collection points, including reverse vending machines, to claim a refund.

Collection points are required in rural towns of 500 people or more, in regional towns of 1000 people or more, with additional sites for each 20,000 people in a town.

Mr Smith said a 10 cent return scheme would require too much infrastructure to be viable.

Read more: Will central Victoria's recycling be affected by SKM shutdown

He said instead education about sustainable container use would work better to reduce plastic waste.

Mr Smith said producing containers in the first place was undesirable, as it took water, energy and carbon.

The City of Greater Bendigo has previously sought support for a container deposit scheme from the state government.

The Victorian government has not confirmed the reports that it planned to introduce a container deposit scheme.

A spokesperson said the government was developing a comprehensive circular economy policy that will deliver better environmental, social and economic results as it would maximise the reuse of materials and reduce the amount of waste that went to landfill.

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