Where Can you Recycle Your Cans In Brisbane

Unless you have been living under a literal pile of garbage you would have no doubt heard about the government’s new Containers for Change recycling scheme which finally launched in Queensland earlier this month.  Created as an incentive to clean up our rubbish and recycle correctly, the new scheme is proving hugely popular with money-savy youngsters keen to add to their pocket money stash and is keeping the conversation alive within families about the importance and impact of recycling on our environment.  In fact, in its first weekend alone the state’s initiative saw almost 1.5 million cans, plastic bottles and stubbies recycled, guaranteeing they didn’t end up in the wrong bin or on the streets and giving those who contributed a little loose change to play with too.

Run a little differently to the similar cash for cans scheme of years gone by, below are all the details you need to know to get your family started, as well as where you can find a drop off point nearest to you.

Containers for Change – How it Works

Step 1.  Collect your eligible containers.

With the central mission being to reduce the amount of drink bottles that currently litter our environment, the Cash for Containers scheme has a strong focus on reducing the amount of waste being generated outside of the home environment.  Therefore, only items that fall under the following guidelines will be eligible for the 10c refund:

• Must be either an aluminium, glass, plastic, steel or liquid paperboard beverage container between 150ml and 3 litres that is usually consumed away from the home (soft drink, flavoured milk container, water bottle etc).  Items that are usually only consumed at home (cordial, plain milk, wine bottles and spirit bottles, and other containers such as condiments and cleaning products) are excluded.
• Must be an approved container. Some containers are made out of materials that cannot be recycled. These containers may not be approved (by the Queensland Government) as an eligible container as the scheme requires that when a refund is paid on a container that container must be recycled.
• Display the refund mark. This is so that the container refund point operator can see if the container is part of the scheme.

2. Create you scheme account

Before heading off to drop off your collected containers its a good idea to jump online and set up a scheme account.  Once registered you will be given a Scheme ID, which allows you to be paid directly into your nominated bank account whenever you redeem containers at a refund point.  As not all refund points give cash directly this is handy to have and is a good way for kids to save their money and watch their recycling efforts grow.

If you would rather not set up a scheme account that is fine but just make sure you check with your local container refund point to see what their available payment options are.  Other refund payment options that don’t require you to have an account include cash, voucher or donation.

3. Option to donate your refund to community groups and charities

If you are involved in a community group or would love to see your recycled cash go to a worthy cause then you may want to donate any refund you get to a registered group rather than collect it yourself.  Whether it is your child’s school, kindy, sporting club or a charity you support, as long as they have registered and you know their scheme account number then you can make sure they receive any change you may be owed instead.

4. Return your containers and ca$h in!

There are several different types of container refund points available so it is important to check what your local one is before heading there in case you would prefer a different option.  The different refund points available include:

Over-the-counter depots – will count your containers immediately and provide refunds in cash or via an electronic funds transfer (EFT) into your bank account – depending on the quantity of containers you have. You will also be able to donate your containers to a community group or charity, using their unique scheme ID

Drop-offs – these are a convenient way to recycle your containers and receive a refund. There are three key steps to remember:

• Bag it: bag your containers using a multi-use plastic bag
• Tag it: tag your containers using labels from your local container refund point, displaying your scheme ID and transaction ID
• Drop it: drop off your containers at your local container refund point

Reverse vending machines (RVMs) – Using either your scheme ID or the unique ID of your local community group or charity, you can scan the barcode and insert uncrushed cans, plastic bottles and liquid paperboard containers into your local RVM.

Mobile and pop-up refund points – mobile points will provide a scheduled service, allowing customers, community groups and charities to return their containers for a refund either in cash or to the scheme ID provided. These points are operated by over-the-counter depots or drop-offs; usually using a trailer with a cage parked at a regional location such as a community store or supermarket, for a few hours on a Saturday morning (for example).

Pop-up container refund points operate at one-off events or functions. A pop-up may be used as a physical donation point for events such as school fetes.

Where can you return your containers?

So you are now ready to find your closest drop-off point and start seeing a little moolah in return.  To find your local return point and to see which type it is simply click on the link below, enter a postcode or suburb name and hit ‘enter’.  If you are after a particular type of drop-off point there is also a drop down box available which means you can search by the type too.

Where can I return?

And that is all there is to it!

Queensland currently has the lowest recycling rate in Australia and by teaching our Brisbane Kids that every little bit counts towards making the change we need to see we are working towards a better future for us and for them.  Start collecting, get them excited and hopefully the fruits of our labour will be seen not just in the bank but in our local environment too.