Queensland

Name of Program

Waste Reduction and Recycling Amendment Bill 2017[1]

Date Enacted

9/13/2017

Date Implemented

11/1/2018

Beverages Covered

Beverages ≤250mL [2]:

Wine (in plastic or sachet containers)

Beverages ≤1L:

Pure fruit/vegetable juice
Flavored milk
Water (in aseptic packs/casks)
Wine (in aluminum cans or aseptic packs/casks)
Wine-based beverages (in aseptic packs/casks only)

Beverages ≤3L:

Carbonated soft drinks
Non-carbonated soft drinks
Water (all materials except aseptic packs and glass)
Wine-based beverages (all materials except aseptic packs)
Beers and ales
Spirits and spirits-based liquor

Beverages Not Covered

All containers ≤150mL or ≥3L
Concentrated cordial or syrups
Concentrated fruit/vegetable juice
Health tonics
Unflavored milk

Deposit and Handling Fees

10¢ AUD

Fees and Taxes

Beverage manufacturer fee (all inclusive of handling fees, processing fees, etc.): Average of 11.6¢ [2]

Unreclaimed Deposits

Remains with retailers

Reclamation System

Deposit at container refund points

Program Success

	Overall Collection Rate
2019-2020 [3]	60.1%
2020-2021 [4]	61.6%
2021-2022 [5]	62.9%
2022-2023 [6]	63.5%

Details

Queensland's container refund scheme, Containers for Change, began on November 1, 2018 with 230 collection points. In addition to reducing beverage litter in the jurisdiction, the scheme seeks to provide benefits to social enterprises, communities, and regional and remote areas by creating new jobs, recycling and fundraising opportunities.

The Queensland Government appointed non-profit group Container Exchange (CoEx) as the Product Responsibility Organisation (PRO), to develop and run the container refund scheme in Queensland.[3] They are responsible for ensuring that an effective and efficient scheme operates in Queensland, and that there is convenient and statewide access to container refund points. Major recycling companies TOMRA and Envirobank help run some collection sites that people may go to deposit their containers.[4]

Residents may return containers at four different types of collection points. There are currently 310 collection points of the following types [5]:

Depots: consumers may drive or walk in to be directly refunded in cash or through their scheme ID.
Bag drops: ‘bag it, tag it and drop it’. Consumers fill either the operator's or their own biodegradable bags, tagged with their scheme ID, and drop it off at eligible locations. The refund is transferred to your scheme ID account.
Reverse vending machines (RVMs): uncrushed containers are inserted into these machines, scanned, then counted. Consumers may receive a retail voucher or a scheme ID refund.
Pop-up: operators set up events at scheduled points in time for consumers to return their containers. Refunds are issued in cash or through scheme ID.

If using their scheme ID, consumers may be refunded through a direct electronic bank transfer or PayPal.