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Millions of dollars in recycling refunds would flow to Far Northern residents if Queensland’s Containers for Change program is expanded to include wine and spirit bottles.
Containers for Change Cairns Recycling general manager Brad Luders said local community groups, restaurants and bars would also benefit if the State Government expanded the popular 10 cent refund program.
Mr Luders said new participants would be encouraged into the system, with the program currently only accepting most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel, and liquid paperboard drink containers between 150 millilitres and three litres in volume.
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A community consultation process is expected to be launched next month [December] to gauge support for the inclusion of wine and spirit bottles in a move Mr Luders said would be hugely popular in Cairns.
Since its launch in 2018, the Containers for Change program has recycled more than 5.5 billion containers and issued $540 million in refunds across the state, including more than 370 million containers and $37 million dollars in Cairns.
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“It’s been the most hotly debated topic for some time,” Mr Luders said.
“Cairns customers have wanted to know why wine and spirit bottles were not included since the scheme started.”
“It would bring into play a different style of customer.
You have some people who don’t use many single-use containers but may enjoy a few bottles of wine per week.
Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said that prior to the State Government’s introduction of Containers for Change, only 18 per cent of beverage containers were recovered and recycled.
Today, that number has grown threefold to 65 per cent.
Mr Luders said Containers for Change Cairns Recycling, which has recycling collection depots at Smithfield, Portsmith, Mareeba, Edmonton and Gordonvale, was popular with both locals and tourists such as grey nomads.
The local business also assisted restaurants and bars with a collection service during the COVID-19 lockdowns, providing assistance at a time when the sector needed it most.
“It was a time when every dollar counted so it was another way for commercial businesses to get through when times were tough,” he said.
A Containers for Change spokesperson said more than five million containers have been returned to raise money for Far Northern community groups and charities since the program’s launch with Mission Beach Wildcare Inc. leading the way, having raised more than $57,000.
Minister Scanlon said consultation on the potential expansion of the program will also include the release of a discussion paper for industry to provide feedback through to February 2023.
“We want to see any expansion happen as soon as possible, but there will be a lot of work that’ll need to happen behind the scenes to make it happen,” Minister Scanlon said.
Main points
- The QLD Government is considering expanding its Containers for Change program to include glass wine and spirit bottles.
- The Government will consult public and release a discussion paper for industry to comment on, in a campaign expected to launch next month.
- Adoption of an expanded program would likely be popular with the Cairns community which has questioned why wine and spirit bottles were not included from the start.
