Wide Bay residents are taking advantage of getting 10 cents back for recycling their containers, with figures showing more 350,000 containers have been returned in the region since Queensland’s container refund scheme, Containers for Change, started last week.
In Maryborough today visiting a refund site operated by U Can Recycle, Minister Leeanne Enoch said local residents had a variety of options to cash-in their containers, through over-the-counter returns and drop off points.
"People may also choose to donate their containers to a local charity or community group, which is a fantastic way for these organisations to get funding for the crucial work they do," Ms Enoch said.
"Containers for Change has had an amazing response so far across Queensland. So far, more than 2 million containers have been returned across Queensland, including more than 350,000 in the Wide Bay region, which is fantastic.
"Containers for Change is about improving recycling in Queensland and reducing litter in our environment.
"Queenslanders are able to get 10 cents back for recycling containers, or donate their refund to a charity or community organisation.
Minister Enoch said this was just the beginning of the scheme.
"As more Queenslanders participate and the scheme grows, we expect more refund sites will be established across the state," she said.
Member for Maryborough Bruce Saunders said it was great to see Maryborough getting on board with Containers for Change.
"Queenslanders use nearly three billion containers every year and they are the second most commonly littered item in our environment, despite the fact that they can be easily recycled," Mr Saunders said.
"Queensland’s container refund scheme is about creating incentives for people to recycle and changing behaviour for the long term.
"These containers now have financial value, and I encourage all local residents to get involved and start recycling to get the refund.
"Residents should Containers for Change website to register for an account so refunds can get deposited straight into your bank account.
"I also encourage community groups to register online if they are interested in benefiting from the scheme."
Alby Taylor, Acting Chair, Container Exchange, said CoEx was keen to keep hearing from community groups who would like to operate container refund points, especially in regional and remote Queensland communities.
"There are already more than 230 container refund points operating around the state, but we want to keep expanding.
"This scheme is a great fit for regional community groups who can manage a few hours a week to provide the container refund service and receive the handling fee from CoEx as payment," Mr Taylor said.
Joel Alexander Owner of, U Can Recycling Pty Ltd a registered Container Refund Point Depot and Processing Operator, said he was very excited to be able to expand his existing recycling business to include the recycling of drink containers.
"It is a win-win," Joel said.
"We are expanding our business, the community can donate to charity and the environment wins by reducing litter and landfill.
"If customers have up to 3000 of containers to return, we can count them while they wait.
"But the beauty of the scheme is that if they have registered and have a scheme ID, we can count their containers and deposit their refund straight into their account, without people having to wait," he said.
LifeChurch runs FoodBasket at Maryborough, which is raising funds through the scheme to provide cleaning water to developing countries, and Senior Pastor Rob Simpson said: "This a fantastic opportunity for the community to help us raise much needed funds – just by returning their water bottle containers, they can help us to provide water to those who need it."
