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Cash in on containers & help the environment

Jackson Lavell-LeeBusselton Dunsborough Times
MR Refund owners Jackie and Marc Dickson at Dunsborough’s Clarke Street depot
Camera IconMR Refund owners Jackie and Marc Dickson at Dunsborough’s Clarke Street depot Credit: Jackson Lavell-Lee

Containers for Change — WA’s new container-deposit scheme — launches on October 1 with collection sites in Margaret River, Cowaramup, Dunsborough and Busselton.

Residents will be able to cash in their eligible drink containers for 10¢ each at one of the five Containers for Change refund points operating in the Capes.

The locations include Cowaramup Men’s Shed, Clarke Street in Dunsborough, Kinsella Street in Margaret River, Wright Street in Busselton and the Busselton Waste Transfer and Recycling Centre.

WA uses 1.3 billion drink containers every year, with the containers the biggest litter contributor to our roadsides, oceans, rivers and creeks.

Containers for Change will divert recyclable containers from landfill and litter and generate up to $130 million of refunds for West Australians each year.

Margaret River Refund owner Jackie Dickson said the scheme was an opportunity to educate the community further on recycling processes, sustainability and reducing litter.

“We have created a place where people can come and learn about the recycling process and we love the scheme because it improves the recyclability of products by reducing contamination, giving us a better chance to actually recycle it,” she said. “All the glass from this scheme is recycled into glass, which doesn’t usually happen. The items included in this scheme are most commonly found in landfill.”

Ms Dickson encouraged locals to sign up to for the Containers for Change scheme ID to allow processors to refund containers direct to their bank account.

The Margaret River Refund also includes the option for organisations and households to contribute their refunds to local community groups, charities and sporting clubs with a list available on the website. “We are offering free collection services for local community groups, so that they can earn the benefits of recycling and we will collect these bags free of charge,” Ms Dickson said.

MR Refund is a small local business, which is not receiving a State Government subsidy for the service.

South West residents can win $10,000 by posting a photo using the new recycling facilities with the hashtag #4changeWA and see the 10,000-container $wan by using the CFC Swan augmented reality filter on Instagram.

Go to cfcswan.com.au to enter.

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