Ten billion containers have been returned through the Containers for Change program in Queensland with $1bn returned to the community.
Almost $17m in 10c refunds has also been paid directly to charities because people selected to have their return diverted to social causes.
Pubs, clubs and bars are some of Queensland’s largest sellers of bottles, cans and spirits so using the scheme allows for the opportunity to reduce waste and be rewarded for it, especially because some other states don’t accept wine or spirit bottles.
Container Exchange CEO, Natalie Roach, said $1bn in refunds is a significant achievement worth celebrating.
“Thanks to Queenslanders, more than 600,000 tonnes of container waste has been diverted from landfill, which is enough to fill almost 3000 Olympic-sized swimming pools,” Roach said.
“Over the past six years, we’ve heard incredible stories about the real difference Containers for Change has made across the state from boosting recycling rates to creating over 1500 local jobs.”
Ms Roach said the milestone is a further opportunity for businesses and people not taking part in the scheme to look at how they could collect containers and begin to get refunds.
“Every year about three billion containers are sold in Queensland, but one billion of these are still going unreturned,” Roach said.
“That’s $100m in 10c refunds left unclaimed.
“Those containers represent a great opportunity for individuals, charities, community groups, sporting clubs and businesses to get started on their container collecting journey.”
In a similar milestone, in February the NSW Return and Earn scheme had its 13 billionth return since its inception in 2017.
More than $1.3bn has been refunded to consumers with more than $72m raised for charities and community groups.
The original incentive scheme began in South Australia in 1977 while other states have become later adopters with Victoria launching its program in 2023.
