How Aussies can ‘cash in’ after the festive season

As the festive season wraps up, Queenslanders are unwrapping an unexpected gift – a chance to turn their post-Christmas cleanup into extra cash through the widely embraced Containers for Change initiative.

The eco-friendly and lucrative trend is gaining traction, offering residents a unique opportunity to pocket some extra dollars while contributing to a greener future.

Queenslanders can earn cash at more than 360 Containers for Change refund points across the state by returning eligible drink containers, including glass wine and pure spirit bottles for a 10-cent refund. This inclusive initiative allows the community the opportunity to responsibly dispose of a wider array of beverage containers, particularly those associated with the festive season.

Acting Environment Minister, Grace Grace, is all praise for the initiative, stating, “Containers for Change is a fantastic way for Queenslanders to cash in this festive season, while taking part in the circular economy.”

“Queenslanders have already demonstrated an impressive dedication to recycling and as we celebrate this special time of year with family and friends, we encourage everyone to keep sustainability front of mind,” Grace added.

“Containers for Change is going from strength to strength, which is why we’re opening more and more facilities across the State to service local demand and also meet the expectations of the community.

“Last year, Queenslanders who participated in Containers for Change received on average $200 in refunds.

“The popularity of the initiative has only increased since all Queensland Containers for Change refund points started accepting empty glass wine and pure spirit bottles in November in exchange for 10-cent refunds and the festive season gives a great opportunity to take advantage of these refunds.

“Our decision to include glass wine and pure spirit bottles followed an extensive consultation period, during which more than 6,600 Queenslanders shared their thoughts about including additional containers in the refund program.”

Containers for Change’s New Years goal is to surpass the impressive recycling achievements of the month of January 2023, which saw customers return 157.5 million containers, injecting $15.75 million back into the pockets of Queensland households, charities, and community groups.

Since Containers for Change launched in November 2018 more than 7.4 billion containers have been returned to refund points across Queensland. By December this year alone 1.6 billion containers have been returned for recycling.

Container Exchange CEO Natalie Roach extended her congratulations to Queenslanders, noting the impressive record achieved.

“I’d like to congratulate Queenslanders on this amazing record – it shows that more and more Queenslanders are seeing the value of returning their containers for 10-cent refunds,” Roach said.

“The impact of Containers for Change is staggering, with more than 7.4 billion containers returned since the program began just over five years ago.

“That’s $740 million returned to the pockets of Queenslanders including around $11.5 million to charities and community groups. This has made a real difference as households look for new ways to alleviate cost-of-living pressures.

“As Queenslanders clean up after festive season parties and set their New Year’s resolutions, we are encouraging them to make positive change with their empties through Containers for Change.

“On average Queenslanders returned more than 5 million containers a day in January 2023 and we want to see this return rate well and truly surpassed in 2024.”

There are more than 360 refund points across the state including drive-through depots, 24-hour bag drops, reverse vending machine kiosks, and mobile services. Learn more about Containers for Change here: www.containersforchange.com.au/qld