Make money from rubbish—new recycling scheme launches soon

Recycling initiatives have long played a crucial role in reducing waste and promoting sustainability.

However, their effectiveness often depends on widespread participation and strategic implementation.

Now, a new development is set to reshape how one Australian state tackles litter and recycling, bringing it in line with a nationwide effort.


South Australia made history in 1977 by launching the country's first container deposit scheme (CDS), allowing residents to trade bottles for cash at designated recycling locations.

Nearly five decades later, Tasmania became the final state to introduce its own version of the initiative, uniting all Australian jurisdictions in a nationwide recycling effort.

Authorities confirmed that Tasmania’s program, Recycling Rewards, would officially roll out on 1 May.


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Tasmania joins the national recycling cash-for-containers scheme. Image source: Pexel/케치업 스


The long-anticipated scheme, welcomed by environmental advocates, would provide a 10-cent refund for each eligible drink container returned at designated refund points.

A spokeswoman for TasRecycle shared that once the program commenced, it would ‘be accessible to all Tasmanians.’

There would be 49 refund points across the state, though the exact locations were still being finalised, with further details to be announced before the scheme’s launch.

Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie stated that the initiative aimed to cut the number of plastic containers littering the streets and ending up in landfills while pushing Tasmania toward a circular economy.

‘Drink containers make up as much as 45 per cent of Tasmania’s litter and through Recycle Rewards, we hope to reduce that by half and double their recycling rate,’ she told the media.


The launch would be staged, and in the meantime, Tasmanians were encouraged to continue using kerbside and public recycling bins.

A benchmark measurement would be conducted before the program began to track its impact, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) confirmed.

Minister Ogilvie urged beverage companies to prepare for the transition by updating barcodes and labels in line with the scheme, with grants available to assist with costs.

NRE Tas allocated $80,000 in total funding, offering up to $1,000 per applicant, with applications closing on 30 June 2025 at 11:55 pm or when funds were depleted.

With this rollout, Australia was set to become the first continent to have a CDS in every jurisdiction.


South Australia pioneered the initiative in 1977, followed by the Northern Territory in 2012, New South Wales in 2017, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland in 2018, Western Australia in 2020, and Victoria in 2023.

For those willing to put in the effort, the scheme had the potential to be lucrative.

Last year, a Brisbane woman who collected bottles and cans, earning $100 in just 30 minutes.

Inspired by her parents, Heidi Lou started collecting containers during the Christmas period and quickly found it to be a profitable money-saving strategy.

However, legal experts warned participants to be mindful of potential legal issues when collecting bottles.

Lawyer Avanish Singh explained that discarded items in a bin were generally considered abandoned, meaning they were not legally classified as stolen.

‘If items have been placed in a bin for disposal, then the item will be taken to be “abandoned”—this means that someone who takes an item from a bin cannot be charged with stealing as the item is no longer capable of being stolen,’ he said.

‘The previous owner has effectively relinquished ownership of it.’


Despite this, Singh warned that trespassing laws still applied, meaning entering private property to collect bottles could lead to legal consequences.

In Victoria, such offences carried a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to 25 penalty units.

Australians collectively consumed 3.79 million tonnes of plastic per year, highlighting the need for initiatives like Recycling Rewards.


In a previous story, Heidi Lou made an unexpected $100 discovery while rummaging through a skip bin, highlighting just how much value can be found in discarded items.

Her experience sheds light on the growing trend of cashing in on recyclables and unwanted goods.

Read more about her surprising find here.

Key Takeaways
  • Tasmania became the final Australian state to introduce a container deposit scheme, Recycling Rewards, launching on 1 May with a 10-cent refund for eligible drink containers at 49 refund points.
  • The program aimed to reduce Tasmania’s litter—where drink containers made up 45 per cent of waste—by half and double recycling rates, aligning with a nationwide push for sustainability.
  • Beverage manufacturers were urged to prepare for the transition, with NRE Tas offering grants of up to $1,000 from a total funding pool of $80,000 to assist with barcode and label updates.
  • Legal experts warned that while collecting abandoned containers from bins was legal, entering private property without permission to do so could result in trespassing charges and penalties.

With Tasmania finally joining the rest of the country in the container deposit scheme, Australia is on track to becoming a leader in recycling initiatives.

Do you think Recycling Rewards will make a significant impact on reducing litter, or will it take more than just a refund to change habits?

Share your thoughts in the comments.
 
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I remember in the 60s we would take soft drink bottles to our local fruit shop or milkbar in Riverwood sydney and collect I think 5c a bottle

We collect our bottles and a guy comes out every 3 months and he pays cash and 10c a bottle. He never counts then he just trusts us and our total is around 1500 bottles each time
 
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We used to take bottles back to outlets to receive 3d or 6d per bottle. "Bottloes" used to collect beer bottles too. This was in Victoria and as late as at least late 70's
 
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I've seen several gents going around looking in recycling bins on the verge & removing cans. Some of these people have quite a stash when I've seen them around midday.

Quite a lucrative business for them. (I wonder if they have problems with one person entering someone else's territory?).
 
When my (now adult) kids were younger ('80s) they'd save/hunt down the empty bottles & cans & when we'd make a trip over the border to SA (which was an hour away) they'd cash them in & it made them some pretty good pocket money (until SA stopped allowing Vic number plates at the recycle centre at least, which sucked!)
 

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