The price of packaged beer is about to go up across NSW as brewers pass on the costs of the state's new container deposit scheme, brewers have warned.

Under the scheme, consumers can claim back 10 cents per drink container at collection points and reverse vending machines across the state from December 1.

The scheme is aimed at reducing the amount of container litter across the state, which costs more than $162 million to manage.

But Chris McNamara from the Independent Brewers Association fears consumers do not realise the scheme will bring price rises of up to $4 on a carton of beer.

"The consumers of NSW would be surprised to know that it's three weeks away because nobody has been told about it," Mr McNamara said.

Chief executive of NSW EPA Barry Buffier believes there is strong public demand for a container deposit scheme.

"We're very excited about the scheme. The community are really keen to have this," he said.

The scheme will allow consumers of beer, cider and soft drink at home to take their empty containers to a collection point to claim 10 cents back per container.

But rebates for empty containers left in kerbside recycling collection will go to the council or waste handler.

Brewers frustrated with wine exemption

There are some exemptions, including wine bottles, mirroring the rules of a scheme that's been running in South Australia for 40 years.

The EPA said wine bottles are exempt in the SA and NSW schemes because they are less likely to end up in the litter stream.

But Topher Boehm from Wildflower Brewing and Blending, a small brewery in Sydney's inner-west, said a lot of time has already been "wasted" dealing with the scheme.

Mr Boehm sells beer in wine bottles, but his company does not qualify for exemption under the scheme. ( ABC News: David Coady )

The beer at his brewery is sold in wine bottles, but unlike wine producers his company does not qualify for exemption.

Ashley Huntington from the Two Metre Tall brewery in Tasmania is also frustrated with the list of products excluded from the scheme.

He said the exemptions on wine bottles mean the scheme amounts to little more than a tax on beer, cider and soft drink producers.

"The vast majority of liquids being sold in containers in this country are exempt," he said.

Each drink producer needs to register for the scheme at a cost of $80 per product, a cost Mr Huntington said is too high.

"We have to register every single product in every single bottle variant we produce," Mr Huntington said.

"By the time we've finished, as a small producer selling a lot of different products at small volume into the market, that's going to end up well over $3,000."