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Ipswich cashes in containers for change

Ipswich residents have been cashing in on recycled containers, with more than 99 million items returned since Containers for Change was introduced in late 2018.

With a 10 cent refund per container, Ipswich residents have pocketed almost $10 million through the recycling scheme.

Container Exchange spokesperson Adam Nicholson said the region’s recycling efforts show no sign of slowing down.

“The Ipswich local government area is the fastest growing region in the state, with a 154 per cent increase on volume of 12 months ago,” Mr Nicholson said.

That equates to a jump from 3.7 million containers in March 2019 to 7.2 million containers in 2020 in the Ipswich region.

That’s well above the Queensland average, with the state as a whole experiencing a 35 per cent increase during the same period.

Importantly, COVID-19 hasn’t stopped residents from cashing in their containers for change, with more than 5.4 million containers returned in Ipswich in April alone.

“State-wide April volumes still increased, despite COVID-19 restrictions and the fact that more than 50 container refund points closed across Queensland,” Mr Nicholson said.

“The positive response to COVID-19 restrictions from our customers and operators has meant the scheme can continue to operate and that’s been welcome news for the many individual collectors and charities, who rely on the income generated through the scheme.

“As you’d expect, our customers are recycling in slightly different ways – our commercial volumes are down due to the closure of events and venues but, at the same time, we’ve seen a spike in new scheme IDs and more customers choosing bag drops.”

Mr Nicholson said a bag drop was a container refund point where a customer could deposit bags of eligible containers in a bin, cage or ‘pod’ to be counted later.

Customers label each bag with their unique scheme ID so that when the containers are counted their refund is transferred directly into their account via electronic funds transfer.

“To get their own unique ID, customers can visit www.containersforchange.com.au, click on the sign up button and follow the prompts,” he said.

Mr Nicholson also reminded first time bag users to remove lids from all containers as they presented both a contamination and safety hazard to operators.

Visit www.containersforchange.com.au or call 13 42 42 for more information on how to participate.

Read more:

>>> How to turn your containers into cash

CLEAN UP THREE TIMES A WEEK WITH IPSWICH FIRST

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