“It’s humbling to know that across the CDS Vic West Zone, our network of refund points is having a positive and measurable impact. We are proud to be delivering a safe, convenient and accessible network for the citizens of western Victoria, with over 434 million eligible drink containers being returned across our almost 200 CDS Vic locations.”
James Dorney, CEO TOMRA Cleanaway
Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme, CDS Vic, has returned more containers in its first year than any other scheme in the country – with 1 billion containers saved from landfill and $100 million back in the pockets of Victorians and charities.
Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos today celebrated the milestone on the one-year anniversary of the CDS Vic at the launch of a new display at Scienceworks that teaches students about the lifecycle of a bottle when returned through the scheme.
Since the scheme commenced on 1 November last year, more than $918,000 has been raised for charities and community groups thanks to the outstanding efforts of over 4,200 donation partners.
Before CDS Vic was launched, drink containers were one of the most littered items in Victoria. Over the past 12 months alone, a staggering one-third of containers have been saved from landfill and recycled through the scheme – significantly reducing waste across the state.
Of all the containers returned since the scheme started, around 50 percent have been aluminium, 30 percent plastic and 17 percent glass – these containers are sorted and recycled into new bottles or other products. The CDS circular economy has already generated 597 direct jobs in Victoria in its first year.
Victorians are recycling an average of 145 containers per return, with more than 26 million containers deposited the week following the AFL Grand Final – the biggest week of returns on record.
To mark this achievement, CDS Vic has created a ‘Message in a Bottle’ installation at Scienceworks, featuring messages from Victorian primary students inside 320 recycled bottles that highlight the importance of recycling.
Open from 1 November 2024 to 27 January 2025, families are invited to visit the new display and learn more about the process of recycling containers returned through CDS Vic. Visitors can also return their containers for a 10-cent refund at a deposit point in the Scienceworks carpark. This reverse vending machine, operated by TOMRA Cleanaway, is open 7 days a week from 7am to 9pm.
It has never been easier to help keep waste out of landfill and litter out of the environment, with Victorians encouraged to continue to recycle their eligible drink containers at any one of the 650 convenient and accessible deposit points across the state.
The Victorian Government is driving Victoria’s transition to a thriving and sustainable circular economy, backed by $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling industry – creating more jobs in new industries, reducing landfill, and maximising the value of precious resources.
