The Red Frogs community organisation managed to collect more than 10,000 empty beverage containers while providing their support programs during last week’s Schoolies Festival on the Sunshine Coast.
The Red Frogs have now collected more than 250,000 eligible containers and claimed $25,000 in refunds in south-east Queensland by targeting special events and venues for container collection.
The Containers for Change scheme refunds 10 cents for every eligible container returned at a registered Container Refund Point (CRP) by individuals, community and sporting groups and businesses.
The Schoolies Festival – even the 2020 version that was abbreviated by the effects of COVID – is a key event for the Red Frogs.
The charity’s aim is to provide a positive peer presence in alcohol-fuelled environments where young people gather, educate young people on safe partying behaviours and promote alcohol free activities.
But they also took the opportunity to collect containers for refund during the week, assisted by Noosa-based CRP Express Recycling.
With much smaller numbers than on the Gold Coast compared to previous years, Noosa emerged as a new destination of choice for Schoolies in 2020.
In a community partnership, Express Recycling delivered extra bins to apartments and resorts to ensure Schoolies could easily recycle their containers.
Red Frogs’ volunteers also went out knocking on Schoolies’ apartment doors, offering their services and collecting containers as they went.
It is a tactic that enables Red Frogs to engage the young visitors and also reap extra funding to do their important work.
“We were doing big blitzes on all the apartment complexes and resorts, going from floor to floor and collecting during the week,” Red Frogs’ founder and CEO Andy Gourley said.
“The potential for collecting containers and the good work we can do with the money refunded through the Containers for Change scheme is enormous, especially at events like Schoolies.
“In Brisbane we collect at university residential colleges, pubs and other businesses, and also focus on major events.
“It is a valuable source of funding for our organisation.”
Express Recycling operator Dion Lawrence was only too happy to assist Red Frogs in fulfilling their collection opportunities at the Schoolies Festival.
Express Recycling provided bin infrastructure and was able to make sure the funds would flow back to Red Frogs by applying the refunds to their unique Scheme ID.
Any community group can attract refunds by encouraging their supporters to quote their Scheme ID when dropping off containers. The funds are then deposited in the chosen group’s bank account a few days later.
“We pushed out an extra 30 bins to resorts and complexes and the Red Frogs put their own bags in them,” Mr Lawrence said.
“We know what containers they have collected because of the special bags they have supplied.
“The bins are collected and the refunds applied to the Red Frogs’ Scheme ID.
“We are happy to pick the bins up for them and we don’t charge them a cent for that service.”
For more information on Containers for Change, see www.containersforchange.com.au/
