The State Government is encouraging Queenslanders to cash in on their Christmas and New Years celebrations by recycling empty drink containers for 10-cent refunds.
Queenslanders can earn cash at more than 360 Containers for Change refund points across the state including Noosa by returning eligible drink containers, including glass wine and pure spirit bottles, after an Australian-first expansion of the Containers for Change scheme in November.
This inclusive initiative allows the community the opportunity to responsibly dispose of a wider array of beverage containers, particularly those associated with the festive season.
On 22 December 2023, Containers for Change recorded its biggest day of returns with 8,346,020 containers handed in, surpassing the previous record of 7,906,010 set in December 2022.
Containers for Change’s New Years goal is to surpass the impressive recycling achievements of the month of January 2023, which saw customers return 157.5 million containers, injecting $15.75 million back into the pockets of Queensland households, charities, and community groups.
Since Containers for Change launched in November 2018 more than 7.4 billion containers have been returned to refund points across Queensland. To December this year alone 1.6 billion containers have been returned for recycling.
Acting Environment Minister, Grace Grace said Containers for Change was a fantastic way for Queenslanders to cash in this festive season, while taking part in the circular economy.
“The popularity of the initiative has only increased since all Queensland Containers for Change refund points started accepting empty glass wine and pure spirit bottles in November in exchange for 10-cent refunds and the festive season gives a great opportunity to take advantage of these refunds,” she said.
Container Exchange CEO Natalie Roach said as Queenslanders cleaned up after festive season parties and set their New Year’s resolutions, they were encouraging them to make positive change with their empties through Containers for Change.
“On average Queenslanders returned more than 5 million containers a day in January 2023 and we want to see this return rate well and truly surpassed in 2024,” she said.
Customers can download the Containers for Change app to keep track of their refunds and track their progress against the goals they have set for the year. They can also find their nearest container refund point from more than 360 across the state.
