The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Containers for Change program has resulted in more than 120 million containers being returned in the first 100 days of its operation.
Community and charities have benefitted by more than half a million dollars so far.
Launched on 1 October 2020, Containers for Change offers a 10c refund for returned containers.
More than 4,100 tonnes of glass, 600 tonnes of aluminium and 400 tonnes of PET plastic have been recycled from containers collected during the first 100 days.
Minister for the Environment, Stephen Dawson said the program had seen the scheme benefiting more than 3,000 community groups and charities, including Wheelchairs for Kids, which had raised almost $10,000.
“More than 680 local jobs have been created at Containers for Change refund points, with many filled by people with disability, the long-term unemployed, and Aboriginal people,” Mr Dawson said
“Over the next 20 years, it is estimated the scheme will recycle an additional 6.6 billion containers, keeping about 5.9 billion of those containers out of landfill and 706 million containers from being littered.”
He said the program had been widely supported since it was introduced 100 days ago and West Australians deserved praise for ensuring its success.
“However, we are still seeing containers end up in litter and landfill, so we all need to do our bit to recycle them through the scheme,” the Minister said.
“We need to change our thinking about what we do with waste. Drink containers made from glass, aluminium, plastic and liquid paperboard are resources that can be turned into new products; they do not belong in the bin.”
