Australian Beverages Council Celebrates Queensland Containers for Change Milestone

10 February 2023

Sydney – The Australian Beverages Council Limited (ABCL) is pleased to see strong uptake of Containers for Change, the state’s container deposit scheme (CDS), surpassing six billion drink containers in the first month of the year.

“A complex system like CDS has many moving parts,” said ABCL GEO Geoff Parker. “Its success is a testament to the efforts of COEX taking steps to expand the scheme with more facilities across the state. And, of course, to Queenslanders for making smart choices with their drinks packaging to support sustainability.

“We are glad to see these successes – particularly the impressive amount of containers Queenslanders returned this summer, which helps schemes to keep containers out of landfill and put millions of dollars back into consumers’ pockets. It also supports local charities and first nations communities,” said Parker. “This is done while supporting hundreds of quality jobs across the state. It’s a win all around.”

Containers for Change collected a billion containers in the last six months.

“As more collection sites open across Queensland, this is a good time to look at expanding the program to include a wider variety of recyclable food and beverage containers, including wine and spirits,” said Parker. “The ABCL believes container deposit schemes like Containers for Change are about more than just preventing littering and keeping containers out of landfill but about obtaining and reusing quality materials to support a sustainable, circular economy.

The ABCL participates in a wide range of sustainability initiatives including assisting states establish container deposit schemes, is an active participant on national and international consultation groups, and assists members achieve their sustainability goals. We are a proud member of APCO and a signatory to the ANZPAC Plastics Pact.

ABOUT

The Australian Beverages Council Ltd (ABCL) is the peak body representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Our Membership comprises of small, medium-sized and large companies. Collectively these companies produce over 95% of the industry’s volume. Our members make a substantial $7+ billion contribution to the Australian economy each year, and nationally employ over 46,000 people. Every one job in the industry supports 4.9 jobs in the supply chain.