{"id":9232,"date":"2025-09-12T05:53:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T09:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9232"},"modified":"2025-09-12T05:53:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T09:53:17","slug":"western-australia-to-expand-containers-for-change-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=9232","title":{"rendered":"Western Australia to expand Containers for Change programme"},"content":{"rendered":"


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More than 4.5 billion containers have been collected, reducing waste and promoting recycling, as of 31 July 2025. Credit: Shirley Jayne Photography\/Shutterstock.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The Western Australian (WA) government has announced an expansion to its Containers for Change programme to include wine and spirit bottles from 1 July 2026.<\/p>\n

The scheme, which has been in place since 2020, offers a refund for eligible beverage containers.<\/p>\n

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The inclusion of wine and spirit bottles means that nearly all beverage containers ranging from 150ml to 3 litres will now be accepted at refund points across WA.<\/p>\n

The expansion will also encompass wine in plastic packaging, sachets, casks, water in casks, concentrated fruit and vegetable juices, flavoured milk and cordial.<\/p>\n

Plain milk and registered health tonic containers will continue to be excluded.<\/p>\n

The Containers for Change scheme has improved the recycling rate in WA, increasing it from 35% to 65% since its inception.<\/p>\n

With the programme\u2019s expansion, it is anticipated that an additional 200 million containers will be eligible for refunds each year, including 90 to 130 million glass bottles.<\/p>\n

Glass bottles already have an 80% return rate \u2013 the highest of all materials.<\/p>\n

The programme\u2019s expansion has been accelerated due to the support it has received from the community, contributing to environmental sustainability, job creation and aiding community groups.<\/p>\n

More than 4.5 billion containers have been collected, reducing waste and promoting recycling, as of 31 July 2025.<\/p>\n

In the 2023\/24 financial year, approximately 39,000 tonnes of glass were recycled through the programme into new bottles.<\/p>\n

WA Return Recycle Renew (WARRRL) CEO Tim Cusack stated: \u201cWA Return Recycle Renew welcomes and supports this announcement on the future inclusion of new 10-cent containers into our container deposit scheme.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be working with all our stakeholders over the coming months to ensure we are operationally ready for the expansion in mid-2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cRefund points will not be accepting any new 10-cent containers until the launch date. In the meantime, we encourage the community to continue to dispose of their containers in the relevant household bin, as per the WasteSorted guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

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