July 2022 saw the launch of a shopfront in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD – Uptown. Previously the only CBD container refund point had been a bag drop.
The shopfront is located next to a major food retail outlet and on launch, CBD recycling volumes increased from an average of 5,000 containers per week, to more than 20,000 containers per week.
The site is staffed by team members from social enterprise Substation 33, who also collects and counts the containers returned at the shopfront.
In total, 39 RVMs operate in Greater Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, providing an appealing option for customers returning smaller numbers of containers more frequently.
Refunds are paid via electronic funds transfer into customers’ bank accounts, as an instant retail voucher, or can be donated to causes chosen by customers.
