In an Australian-first, the Palaszczuk Government has announced it will expand its popular Containers for Change program to include glass wine and spirit bottles from November 1, 2023.
It means Queenslanders will get 10 cents for every glass wine and spirit bottle deposited at one of over 360 container refund points across the state. The commitment to expand the scheme follows an extensive consultation period, where more than 6,600 Queenslanders shared their thoughts about including additional containers in the refund program.
The majority of participants favoured more containers being made eligible for refunds through the program. The container refund scheme has recovered more than 6.4 billion containers since its launch in Queensland in 2018, refunding more than $630 million to Queenslanders and creating 815 jobs. The addition of glass wine and spirit bottles is expected to build on the existing benefits of the program, especially around the recovery of additional glass for remanufacturing.
To ensure all Queenslanders can participate in the expanded scheme later this year, the Palaszczuk Government is working closely with Container Exchange (COEX), which manages the Containers for Change program, to ensure industry and facilities will be ready with six months to prepare.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said they have listened to Queenslanders and made the change.
“Of course, we don’t want Queenslanders to pop the champagne too early, as we work with 360 container refund depots as well as wine makers and spirit distillers over the next six months to get ready for the change.
“When we launched Containers for Change five years ago, only 18 per cent of beverage containers were being recovered and recycled in Queensland.
“Since then, that number has grown threefold, with Queenslanders having returned more than six billion containers and receiving $630 million in return.
Stacked end to end, the recovered containers would run the length of Queensland about 300 times
Container Exchange CEO Natalie Roach said they are thrilled at the overwhelmingly positive response from Queenslanders about expanding the types of drink containers eligible for a refund through the Containers for Change scheme.
“We are excited about offering even more opportunities to create value for individuals, community groups, and charities while making it even simpler for Queenslanders to know which drink containers are eligible for a refund.
“So far, 2023 has been a record-breaking year for the Containers for Change program, with more containers collected than ever before, and we look forward to the expansion and returning even more cashback to Queenslanders whilst saving even more valuable recyclable material from ending up litter or landfill.”
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