“We’re very excited to have landed a Recycle Rewards refund point in the City of Launceston, where locals will be able to conveniently return their eligible drink containers for recycling. Our machines are quick, convenient, and automated, and able to be seamlessly integrate into retail and community locations.”
TOMRA Cleanaway CEO, James Dorney.
Northern Tasmania’s first reverse vending machine had been installed at Mowbray Marketplace, marking a major milestone in the rollout of the refund point network for the state’s upcoming Recycling Rewards scheme.
This machine is one of 49 refund points that will be installed across the state in the coming months, making Australia the first continent to have a Container Refund Scheme across every state and territory.
Set to commence on 1 May, Recycle Rewards aims to cut Tasmania’s litter in half by offering a 10c refund for every eligible drink container returned through a registered refund point.
Launceston Resident Georgina Byers said it’s about time Tasmania caught up with the mainland.
“My husband and I lived in Queensland for eight years before moving back to Tasmania in 2020 and we used to utilise the scheme when we lived there,” she said.
“We thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the automated ones – we would simply feed them onto the conveyer belt and could then choose to either have the money in cash or directly deposited into our bank account.”
TOMRA Cleanaway CEO James Dorney and Launceston resident Georgina Byers.
TasRecycle CEO Ken Roughley and TOMRA Cleanaway CEO James Dorney at the new Mowbray Marketplace site.
Helping grow Tasmania’s circular economy
TasRecycle CEO Ken Roughley said eligible drink containers will be sorted into clean material streams and sold to recyclers in Australia and sometimes overseas where local options are not viable.
“Containers returned in Tasmania will be made into new products including new beverage containers,” said Mr Roughley.
“The process reduces waste sent to landfills and minimises litter and decreases demand for new raw materials, boosting the Australian circular economy”.
Containers eligible for a 10c refund under the scheme will include most drink containers between 150mL to 3L, and includes aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, steel cans/bottles and drink cartons under 1L. Containers should be returned uncrushed, empty, and with their lids on and label intact.
This refund can be received in the form of a cash voucher which can be spent in store or exchanged for cash at a participating retailer, an electronic voucher or electronic refund via the Recycle Rewards app, or users can opt to donate their refund to a charity, sporting or community organisation that has registered as a Donation Partner.
This article originally appeared in The Examiner.
