Tasmania’s new container deposit scheme has achieved a remarkable milestone, with more than one million containers returned in just four days since the program’s launch.
The millionth container was deposited on Sunday morning at the Bridgewater refund point at Cove Hill, marking an enthusiastic public response to the environmental initiative.
Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie praised the community’s swift adoption of the program.
“One million containers and counting. I thank Tasmanians for getting behind Recycle Rewards and giving back to the environment and community,” Ogilvie said.
“Recycle Rewards rewards Tasmanians for doing the right thing, ensuring that litter is recycled and doesn’t go into landfill, or the environment where it can hurt our wildlife.”
The scheme offers participants a 10-cent refund for each eligible container or the option to donate proceeds to over 120 official charity partners.
Tassie Mums, Landcare Tasmania and the Burnie Men’s Shed have received the most donations so far.
Of the 1.2 million containers processed by Sunday evening, nearly 600,000 came from southern Tasmania, about 405,000 from the north, and more than 206,000 from the northwest and west coast regions.
TasRecycle Chair Ben Kearney welcomed the milestone, saying it is “the start of an exciting future for the scheme in Tasmania, that benefits our environment and charity and community groups.”
Sunday proved the busiest collection day, with nearly 363,000 containers returned.
Aluminium containers dominated the collection at 62%, followed by plastic (25%), glass (12%) and liquid paper board (1%).
39% of transactions were conducted via the Recycle Rewards app.
Currently, 40 refund points operate across Tasmania, with nine more scheduled for installation by August 2025 as the scheme continues to expand throughout the island state.
Further information about the program and donation partnerships is available on the official Recycle Rewards website.
