General News
22 April, 2024
Container Deposit Scheme supports local causes
Central Goldfields residents are taking full advantage of the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), returning over $180,000 worth of cans, cartons and bottles over the past six months. Since its introduction in November last year, nearly two million...
Central Goldfields residents are taking full advantage of the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), returning over $180,000 worth of cans, cartons and bottles over the past six months.
Since its introduction in November last year, nearly two million containers have been returned across the two local refund points at Asteria Services and Waste Recyclers of Victoria Flagstaff.
Waste Recyclers of Victoria Flagstaff owner Mark Raven said he has been pleasantly surprised by the community’s enthusiasm towards the program.
“We knew that it was going to be a very popular thing but I don’t think to the extent of containers people are bringing in,” he said.
“The new bins have certainly helped us with the demand for sure, before that when we only had 11 bins we were storing as much as we possibly could wherever we could until it got to a stage where we had to shut our doors.
“That pre-christmas rush was crazy, when we were asking Visy for more containers, practically the whole state was asking for more containers.”
Many who receive 10 cents for every recycled item decide to donate their proceedings to one of the 1600 participating charities, community groups and sporting clubs.
Mr Raven said it’s heartwarming to see many positive community outcomes due to the program.
“I think a lot of people have got on board because they can see the benefits of doing it and getting the extra cash they can make for themselves or their organisations,” he said.
“You hear some great stories about people getting involved to help donate to different charities or raising money for their grandchildren.
“Everyone seems to have a good reason for collecting the money and it helps clean up our communities which is fantastic.”
Across the state, more than 350 million containers have been returned with an average of around 10 million cans, cartons and bottles a week and 129 containers per transaction.
Member for Ripon Martha Haylett said figures are expected to rise further as the scheme becomes more convenient and accessible state-wide.
“It is great to see so many Central Goldfields residents returning containers. People who’ve played a part in returning 1.8 million containers can be proud of their environmental efforts and benefit from the extra income. I’m proud of the community for getting behind this excellent initiative,” she said.
“Zone operators are continuing to refine the delivery of the network to meet high return volumes and add sites in additional key locations in Ripon.
“When fully rolled out in August 2024, there will be more than 600 refund points across the state, making the scheme widely accessible.”
For more information, or to find your nearest refund point, visit www.cdsvic.org.au
