WMRR celebrates Containers for Change roll-out in WA

 1 October 2020

The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia welcomes the commencement of Western Australia’s container deposit scheme, congratulating all stakeholders who dug deep amid an ongoing pandemic to make the scheme a reality.

Containers for Change, which launched today, is expected to create a multitude of local jobs while recycling an additional 6.6 billion containers over the next 20 years.

“WMRR commends WA for joining the ranks of other jurisdictions, including SA, NSW and Queensland, in rolling out a container deposit scheme and acknowledges all who worked so hard over the last few months, going above and beyond to roll out the scheme,” WMRR CEO, Ms Gayle Sloan, said.

“States are working hard to rebuild our local economies post-pandemic, boost jobs and employment, and prepare for the impending COAG waste export bans, and this scheme will have the opportunity to make a positive mark on these efforts. We hope that WA’s Containers for Change will drive investment in remanufacturing throughout the state, particularly for material streams captured under the ban such as plastic and glass.

“Notably, given the importance of container deposit schemes to communities, as witnessed in other states, it is vital that WA continues to build on a scheme that is accessible to all in the community, providing a strong and widespread network to ensure maximum collection rates and of course, providing jobs to locals in communities. Already, we know that some 600 local jobs have been newly created at refund points and there is an opportunity to further drive employment and accessibility as the network grows, as it should.

“Well done, WA! We now look to the remaining states of Victoria and Tasmania to ensure that their communities are able to access high-quality redemption schemes as soon as possible,” Ms Sloan said.