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Each year, Western Australians buy more than 1.54 billion 10c containers. Sadly, hundreds of millions of these containers are not recycled – ending up as litter or in landfill.

Containers for Change is Western Australia’s container deposit scheme and increases recycling rates and reduces litter.

Our objectives are:

  • 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.

Containers for Change targets beverage containers that are commonly littered. The types of beverage containers include plastic and glass bottles, paper-board cartons, and steel and aluminium cans between 150 millilitres and three litres.

Examples of beverage containers that can be recycled through Containers for Change are:

  • Soft drink cans and bottles.
  • Bottled waters, both plastic and glass.
  • Small, flavoured milk drinks.
  • Beer and cider cans and bottles.
  • Sports drinks and spirit-based mixed drinks.

WARRRL was appointed on 18 July 2019 as the scheme coordinator for Containers for Change, subject to conditions of appointment. Containers for Change was launched on 1 October 2020.

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, including 10¢ drink containers!

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the recycling journey of 10¢ drink container returned through Containers for Change…

 
 

What 10¢ containers can be recycled into

PLASTIC BOTTLES

New plastic bottles

Food containers

Textiles, shoes, sunglasses

Pilot B2B pens

Furniture and bins

Construction material

Shampoo bottles

GLASS BOTTLES

New glass bottles

Road base

DRINK CANS

New drink cans

Beverage and food containers

Electronics

Building products

Kitchen foil

Takeaway packaging

Utensils

Construction materials

DRINK POUCHES & CASKS

Cardboard outers: recycled paper

Juice pouches: plastic furniture

Cask inners: construction and logistics pallets

DRINK CARTONS

Tissue paper

Paper

Construction board