Queensland’s container refund scheme Containers for Change is one of Australia’s most effective and fastest-growing container recycling programs.

Since Containers for Change launched on 1 November 2018, over 12.5 billion containers have been recovered for recycling through Queensland’s container refund scheme.

Scheme to date highlights (October 2025):

  • 10.8 billion containers returned at refund points
  • $1.08 billion in 10-cent refunds
  • $17 million donated to charities
  • 60% decrease in container litter
A woman holding a large container of empty drink containers.

FY2025 highlights

The 2025 financial year marked several achievements for Queensland’s container refund scheme. 

  • Peak recovery rate: 80.7% (February 2025) 
  • Record daily volume: 9.4 million (23 December 2024) 
  • Record weekly volume: 48.3 million (week ending 22 December 2024)
  • Record monthly volume: 183.3 million (January 2025) 

Our Annual Reports shine a light on the people, communities and organisations making real change through the Containers for Change scheme.

Read the Annual Report

Recovery rate

More than 2 in 3 eligible beverage containers sold in Queensland are recovered through the container refund scheme.

Before Containers for Change, just 18% of eligible containers sold in Queensland were recycled.

Queensland’s statewide container recovery rate is calculated using the formulae in section 29 of the Waste Reduction and Recycling (Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Regulation 2018.

It considers:

  • Number of containers returned at refund points
  • Number of containers recovered from Material Recycling Facilities
  • Number of beverage containers sold in Queensland

Regional snapshot

Regional recovery rates are calculated based on the local population and the number of containers sold.

Region FY25 Volume (number of containers recovered) FY25 Recovery Rate
North Queensland 288.5 million 80.9%
Central Queensland 227.7 million 80.9%
South West Queensland 174.3 million 69.6%
Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay 360.1 million 78.6%
Greater Brisbane and Gold Coast 1.2 billion 59.6%
Queensland total 2.2 billion 67.1%

 

Container refund points

The scheme offers multiple container return options for consumers and businesses, including full-service depots, self-service machines, 24-hour bag drops, mobile collections, and home and business pickup services.

As of 30 September 2025, there were 402 sites across Queensland where customers can return their eligible beverage containers in exchange for the 10-cent refund, including:

  • 159 depots
  • 50 Reverse Vending Machines
  • 115 bag drops
  • 74 mobile pick ups
  • 4 Donation Points
Find your nearest refund point

Material recycling

Containers for Change provides a clean and reliable source of materials, supporting the circular economy and remanufacturing sector in Queensland, Australia and internationally.

COEX is legally required to ensure that every eligible container returned through the scheme is recycled and does so through a network of accredited recyclers.

The scheme also recovers, where possible, containers that are put in the yellow-top bin, with the refund paid to Material Recycling Facilities.

Read the latest material report here.

 

Container type FY25 Volume (number of containers recovered) % of scheme material Recycler location(s) On-shore recycling available
Glass 543.2 million 24.2%
  • Queensland
Yes
Aluminium 1.1 billion 47.8%
  • Korea
  • India
  • Malaysia
Limited
Polyethylene Terephthalate

(PET)

543.2 million 24.2%
  • Australia
Yes
Liquid paperboard 41.1 million 1.8%
  • Australia
  • Spain
Limited
High-density polyethylene

(HDPE)

39.6 million 1.77%
  • Australia
Yes
Steel 1.5 million <0.1%
  • Australia
  • Korea
  • India
  • Japan
Yes

 

Glass
Recycled glass bottles, sand replacement for civil construction applications and home insulation
Aluminium
Recycled beverage cans, electronics, car parts, building products, kitchen foil, takeaway packaging
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Recycled bottles, geo fabric, pallet strapping
High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
Containers, furniture, kitchen bins, construction material, manufacturing equipment
Liquid paperboard
Craft paper, plastic resin, building products
Steel
Steel cans, utensils, construction materials