Home / Environment / Aussies Score $57.4M Recycling Boom
Aussies Score $57.4M Recycling Boom
24 Feb
Summary
- Over 574 million containers recycled in two months.
- Australians pocketed $57.4 million from recycling.
- Container deposit schemes operate across all Australian states.
Australians have enthusiastically embraced recycling, pocketing an impressive $57.4 million over December and January. During this period, more than 574 million containers were recycled across the nation's Return and Earn stations. This surge in recycling activity occurred ahead of Clean Up Australia Day.
Container Deposit Schemes, like Return and Earn, are now operational in every Australian state and territory, offering a 10-cent refund for eligible cans and containers. NSW recorded nearly 436 million container returns in the two-month period, with a single day on December 22 seeing over 10.24 million containers returned.
Clean Up Australia reported that beverage container litter has decreased in areas with established schemes like NSW. The organization supports increasing the refund rate to 20 cents or more to maintain recycling incentives. Litter remains a significant environmental challenge, with 59.5% of reported litter cleaned last year, dominated by plastics.
