Container Deposit/Refund Schemes are a great way to recycle your empty beverage containers in a way that not only benefits the environment, but also earns a small amount of money for you – or your favourite charity.
Choosing to recycle your beverage containers through Container Deposit Schemes has a significant environmental impact. It ensures your plastic, glass or aluminium drink container can be remade into another container and doesn’t end up in landfill.
Container Deposit Schemes, also called Container Refund Schemes, encourage people to return their drink containers to a collection point, earning a cash refund for each eligible container.
Beginning in 1977 in South Australia, the schemes were set up to help people with the safe disposal of their plastic items by encouraging direct recycling in addition to kerbside recycling.
Container Deposit Schemes create a steady stream of clean, sorted, recyclable material that can then be used to make new, food-grade containers. This reduces waste going to landfill and littering, and also reduces the amount of new materials required to make food and beverage containers.
Drink containers you recycle using Container Deposit/Refund Schemes produce higher quality material, or what’s known as recyclate, than those placed in kerbside recycling bins because the material is properly separated before being processed. This is great news because it means they can more easily be remade into new food-grade containers for reuse.
So, if you want to ensure that your old beverage container gets made into another, the best way is to take it to a Container Deposit return point or depot. You’ll also receive the deposit amount, which you can keep or donate to a good cause. If it’s difficult for you to return containers to a Container Deposit facility, you can enquire if your state or territory scheme has a pick-up service available.
Container Deposit Schemes offer a monetary benefit for recycling. This encourages consumers to participate, leading to lower litter rates and reducing the amount of rubbish going into landfill or polluting our environment. They also reduce the amount of virgin materials needed to produce new products.
Container Deposit Schemes operate in the following states and territories: New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Victoria and Tasmania are on track to launch their own schemes in the next two years.
South Australia has been leading the way in Container Deposit Schemes since 1977, with an impressive return rate of drink containers of 76.7% in 2019-2020, and only 2.8% ending up as litter.¹
In all states, the refund amount per container is 10c, and there are different payment options available, depending on your state or territory. You can choose to keep the refund or donate it to your favourite worthy cause.
To find out about the Container Deposit Scheme in your area, select your state or territory from the Australian Beverages Council website.
The drinks industry takes responsibility for the recovery and recycling of empty drink containers. The Australian Beverages Council is committed to ensuring that all schemes provide the lowest cost to consumers, generate jobs, facilitate community-wide participation, reduce litter, and create conditions that underpin a circular economy.
