What We Do
Containers for Change
Each year, Western Australians buy more than 1.7 billion 10c containers. Sadly, hundreds of millions of these containers are not recycled – ending up as litter or in landfill.
To help save precious resources, Containers for Change was launched on 1 October 2020 and expanded on 1 July 2026 to include several new container types including wine and spirit bottles.
Eligible containers
Western Australia’s container deposit scheme targets almost all beverage containers between 150 millilitres and three litres.
The types of beverage containers include plastic and glass bottles, paper-board cartons, and steel and aluminium cans.
Examples of beverage containers that can be recycled through Containers for Change are:
- Soft drink cans and bottles
- Water packaged in plastic, glass and casks
- Flavoured milk drinks
- All fruit and vegetable juices
- Beer and cider cans and bottles
- Wine bottles, pouches and casks
- Spirit bottles and cans, including pre-mixed drinks
- Sports drinks
- Cordial bottles
WARRRL's Objectives
WARRRL’s objectives are to:
- Increase recovery and recycling of empty beverage containers.
- Reduce the number of empty beverage containers that are disposed of as litter or to landfill.
- Ensure that first responsible suppliers of beverage products take product stewardship responsibility.
- Provide opportunities for social enterprise and benefits for community organisations.
- Create opportunities for employment.
- Complement existing collection and recycling activities for recyclable waste.
How it works
Through Containers for Change, members of the community can return their 10¢ drink containers for a refund, which can either be personally collected or donated to a charity, community group, or not-for-profit registered with Containers for Change.
There are multiple ways to return your 10¢ containers:
- Visit a depot – depots can differ in return style: some will count your 10¢ containers for you, others offer a self-serve option; and sometimes they’ll pop up at convenient community locations near you.
- Use a Self-serve Kiosk – Self-serve Kiosks will count your 10¢ containers for you while scanning their barcodes to make sure they are accepted.
- Drop & Go – bag your containers, attach a tag with your member number, and drop it off.
- Book a collection – Containers for Change Collect is a pick-up-on-demand service that is helping you get on board, wherever you are.
- Spot a cradle or basket – Container Exchange Points are cradles or baskets attached to general waste bins in public places across WA, so you can still save your 10¢ containers while on the go.
- Find a donation point – your local charity, community group, or school might operate as a Donation Point, so you can drop off your 10¢ containers and contribute to a cause that is important to you.
Where your containers go
What happens to your 10¢ containers after you have returned them to us?
Accepted containers are sorted into their different material types at the refund point, before being processed into ready-for-sale material by our processors (for example, crushed into bales).
This material is then sold to accredited recyclers, who use it to make new products. Containers collected from the refund point network, where possible, are turned into new containers, supporting the circular economy.
Plastic bottles are mostly turned into new drink containers, but also can become food containers, textiles, Pilot B2B pens, furniture, bins and construction materials.
Most glass bottles are turned into new glass bottles as the rate of contamination is extremely low and glass is infinitely recyclable. A small percentage of glass bottles are turned into road base.
Aluminum cans can be recycled into new cans or can be made into food containers, electronics, building products, takeaway packaging and construction materials.
Recycled drink casks and drink cartons (liquid paperboard) are recycled into mostly paper and paper bags, the aluminium and plastic liners inside these drink cartons can be recycled into packaging pallets.
Bottle lids are shredded in Western Australia before they are made into new products such as construction materials.