A Nambour container recycling worker with lightning-fast hands has been crowned Queensland’s fastest manual counter on Global Recycling Day.
After a statewide callout for entrants across Containers for Change depots, Joel Hibbert from Nambour’s Urban Depot was named the winner of the inaugural competition which launched to highlight the dedicated workers behind Queensland’s container refund scheme.
Joel counted 100 eligible containers in just 19.89 seconds while maintaining perfect accuracy.
Outside of work, Joel is a passionate speedcuber, competing in the rapid solving of puzzles like the Rubik’s Cube – a handy hobby that sharpens the quick thinking and coordination needed to count containers at speed.
Joel, 20, said entering the competition was an exciting way to celebrate a job he enjoys.
“I had a pretty good feeling going into it. Speedcubing really helps with quick hands and pattern recognition, so there’s a lot of crossovers with counting containers,” Joel said.
“I’m really excited about the win, and if it encourages more people to get involved in container recycling then that’s even better. Come down to the Nambour depot, recycle your containers and you might even get to see me in action counting!”
Jason Irwin, owner of Urban Depot, said Joel’s win was well deserved and reflected the strong team behind the depot.
“We have regular recyclers who drop off their containers and then stop to watch Joel do his counting, it’s brilliant,” Mr Irwin said.
“Joel is one of 13 team members who keep the depot running smoothly and help locals recycle their containers every day. We’re proud to support our community and make a positive difference.”
Trevor Evans, Interim CEO of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit that runs Containers for Change, said the competition celebrated the people at the heart of the scheme, which provides meaningful local jobs and puts refunds back into the community.
“Every day, Containers for Change team members across the state manually count thousands of containers returned by Queenslanders doing the right thing for the environment,” Mr Evans said.
“Joel’s impressive speed and accuracy is a great reminder of the skill and dedication of the people working on the frontline to make container recycling possible. Congratulations Joel, keep up the fantastic work.”
Containers for Change is encouraging even more Queenslanders to join the recycling effort this Global Recycling Day (18 March 2026) by returning their eligible containers to one of more than 400 container refund points across the state.
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