The overwhelming success of Palm Island’s first dedicated Containers for Change container refund point was celebrated on the island today at the official opening event.
Located at the Manbarra Road Depot, the refund point was opened to the public earlier this year with Islanders already embracing the service and returning more than 130,000 containers for recycling – securing over $13,000 in container refunds back into the community.
Operated by Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, the new container refund point marks another milestone in the rollout of Queensland’s Containers for Change program and makes it even easier for residents to play their part in creating a cleaner, greener and more sustainable island paradise.
Speaking at the depot’s official opening Chief Executive of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit that operates the Containers for Change program in Queensland, Natalie Roach, said its success was down to the commitment and tenacity of everyone involved in bringing it to life.
“We couldn’t be prouder of how successful the Palm Island container refund point has been since it opened its doors in March,” Ms Roach said.
“The Palm Island container refund point has been a labour of love for so many people who battled COVID lockdowns as well as workforce and supply chain issues to make it a reality.
“Bringing the Containers for Change scheme to Palm Island has been a high priority for us for some time and I’m thrilled Islanders now have the same access to convenient container refunds as those on the mainland.”
For Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council Civil, Open Spaces and Training Manager Janelle “Nugget’ Whitehead, the official opening represents a historic milestone for both the Council and the community.
“Over the last two years we have worked closely with our partners at Container Exchange as well as the Queensland Government and Townsville based container refund point operator MAMS Group to make this a reality,” Ms Whitehead said.
“Not only does having a dedicated facility that Islanders can easily access help us create a cleaner, greener and more sustainable community, but it is also helping to drive our local economy with residents now able to cash in their bottles and cans without having to travel to the mainland.”
The opening of Palm Island’s container refund point followed a successful campaign by Container Exchange and the local community to deliver a pre-Christmas clean-up of recyclable containers on the island.
“This really reinforced to us just how much the Palm Island community care about recycling their containers with more than 27,000 collected and shipped back to the mainland for recycling” Ms Roach said.
“With such strong community support for container recycling, I’m confident the new Palm Island refund point will be a huge success and deliver great wins for not only the environment but for the entire community.”
The Palm Island container refund point is open Monday-Thursday from 8am to 1pm and operates as a cash-free facility with all refunds paid directly into a nominated bank account.
To find out more about the Palm Island container refund point visit this page.
For further info on the Containers for Change program, visit www.containersforchange.com.au/qld
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Sarah Thearle
Manager Communications
Container Exchange
m| 0427 877 482
e | media@containerexchange.com.au
