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Containers for Change WA

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On 2 June 2020, Containers for Change will launch in Western Australia.

Containers for Change is our new statewide container deposit scheme that lets you cash in eligible containers for 10-cents each.
In WA, we use more than 1.3 billion eligible drink containers each year; enough drink containers to line a path from Perth to Broome.
When it comes to recycling, Western Australians will soon have the chance to make real change and earn cash while we do it!

Containers for Change aims to:
• reduce litter and landfill
• increase recycling
• create jobs
• provide opportunities for social enterprise and benefits for community organisations

Hundreds of container Refund Points are planned, with many to be operated by local community groups and social enterprises.
The job of setting up the network has begun, and there will be more information provided over the coming months.

Community information sessions will be held around the state. Details on current planned sessions are available at containersforchange.wa.eventbrite.com.

Physical Donation Points
Physical Donation Points are run by community and sporting groups, charities, and not-for-profit organisations to raise funds. All you need to do is set up a cage or collection point on-site where people can safely drop off their eligible containers. You can often arrange this cage with your local Refund Point operator. You’ll also need to arrange for the containers to be delivered to a Refund Point – which you can do yourself or partner with a Refund Point to do it for you. The Refund Point will do all the sorting and counting for you and send your refund by electronic transfer directly to your specified bank account (through your Scheme ID). This is a great set-up for organisations that have space for a cage.

Information on the location of registered Donation Points will be shared once known. If you’re looking for a short-term fundraising activity, you can often hire mobile cages for container collection drives or events from a local Refund Point.

Virtual Donation Points
Virtual Donation Points allow any community group, school or sporting group, charity and not-for-profit organisation to register with the scheme and receive a Scheme ID. This enables groups to share their Scheme ID with their customers, supporters and network base, without physically hosting a Donation Point themselves.
When you take your containers to an over-the-counter depot, drop-off, RVM or mobile or pop-up site, simply use the group’s scheme ID to donate your containers and the nominated group will receive the 10-cent refund.

Eligible beverage containers
Most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L are eligible for a refund when returned to a Container Refund Point. To be eligible the beverage container must:
• Have contained a beverage product that is not excluded from the scheme. For example, cordials and plain milk are not included in the scheme so containers that have held these products are not eligible for a refund.
• Display the refund mark. This is so that the Refund Point operator can see if the container is part of the scheme. Most containers will already have a refund mark for SA and NT and these containers are eligible under Containers for Change. Beverage manufacturers have until 1 June 2022 to display the new refund mark on their containers.
• Be an approved container. Some containers are made from materials that cannot be recycled. These containers may not be approved (by the Western Australian Government) as an eligible container as the scheme requires that when a refund is paid on a container, that container must be recycled.

Ineligible beverage containers
There are some beverage containers that are not eligible for a refund. Generally, ineligible containers are those that are less than 150ml and greater than 3L. Other ineligible 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
Most ineligible containers, such as plain milk bottles and glass wine bottles, can still be recycled through existing kerbside collection or drop-off services.
For more information head to www.containersforchange.com.au or follow their Facebook page @4ChangeWA.