West End Recycling Depot Proposed Site

Photo credit: Brisbane City Council/pdonline.brisbane.qld.gov.au

About the Container Refund Scheme

By incentivizing consumers to return their empty beverage containers, the Container Refund Scheme or “Containers for Change,” aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste from container litter through recycling.

“The Container Refund Scheme will encourage recycling while also reducing the amount of plastic we see in the environment,” The Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch said in a media statement in August 2018.

Video credit: Containers for Change QLD/YouTube

“There will be a range of different type of refund point options such as permanent depot-style points, bag drops and reverse vending machines.

“Some container refund points will be mobile and use the ‘pop up’ concept to ensure the reach of our scheme extends into regional and remote areas.

“By providing a range of convenient and accessible refund point solutions more Queenslanders will be able to participate in and benefit from the scheme,” Ms Enoch said.

Implementing Organisation and Operator

Container Exchange (CoEx), the Government appointed Product Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the CRS, will implement a total of 230 refund points across the state by November 1st.

The refund points are the sites where residents can return their eligible empty beverage containers for a refund of ten cents for each container. The returned beverage containers are then collected for recycling.

TOMRA, Global sensor-based solutions provider and reverse vending leader, is one of the official operators of the Container Refund Scheme. They are expected to operate a total of 10 refund points which will be located in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba areas.

TOMRA Reverse Vending Machine

Photo credit: TOMRA Collection Solutions/tomra.com

“Each depot will be equipped with 9-12 TOMRA reverse vending machines, a bag-drop option and TOMRA’s Bulk Collection Systems to handle returns of large numbers of containers. The popular myTOMRA app will also provide opportunity for electronic payout of recycling refunds and details on depot locations and opening hours,” TOMRA’s website said.

“Both the RVM and Bag Drop options provide a refund to the customer, via either electronic payment, printed voucher or the refund can be donated to a charity. This means all TOMRA depots operate on a cashless basis,” TOMRA said in their proposal.

The West End depot, along with other TOMRA modern depots, will be a clean and convenient location for consumers to return their empty containers. The “front of house”, a clean and air-conditioned area, is where the customers will enter and complete their returns. The TOMRA modern depots will operate 7 days a week from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

How to Participate in Containers for Change

To participate, consumers should follow four key steps:

• Collect eligible containers
• Create your scheme account
• Take your containers to a refund point
• Collect your refund or make a donation

Excluded Beverage Containers:

Generally excluded containers are those that are less than 150ml and greater than 3L. Other excluded containers include:

• Any plain milk containers
• Any glass containers which have contained wine or pure spirits
• Containers 1L or more which have contained flavoured milk, pure fruit or vegetable juice, cask wine or cask water
• Concentrated/undiluted cordial or syrup containers
• Sachets above 250ml which have contained wine
• Registered health tonics

Plain milk bottles, glass wine bottles, and other excluded containers that can still be recycled may be dropped at existing kerbside collection or drop-off services.

For information regarding eligible containers and for more updates, you may check the Containers for Change or Containers Exchange website.

 281 Montague Rd, West End QLD 4101

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