Every mainland state now runs a 10 cent container deposit scheme. Here is how the schemes work, which containers count, and the practical ways a business can turn its empties into refunds instead of waste.
If your business gets through a lot of cans and bottles, those empties are not just recycling, they are money. Every mainland state now runs a container deposit scheme that pays a 10 cent refund on eligible drink containers, and a venue that handles its empties well can claw back part of what it would otherwise pay to dispose of.
Here is how the schemes work across the country, what counts, and the sensible way to set one up back of house.
Container deposit schemes are state-run, and they arrived at very different times.
The refund is the same everywhere: 10 cents per eligible container. The branding differs by state, but the principle does not.
Across the schemes, eligible containers are generally drink containers between 150 millilitres and 3 litres that carry the refund marking. Think soft drink cans, water bottles, beer bottles and cartons.
A few things are commonly excluded, and the detail varies by state:
That last point is changing. Queensland already accepts wine and spirit bottles, and Western Australia added them from 1 July 2026. South Australia, New South Wales and the ACT are scheduled to follow from 2027. So a venue that goes through a lot of wine glass should plan for those bottles to become refundable everywhere in the next couple of years.
Because the eligible list differs between states, check your own scheme's accepted-items guide before you build a process around it.
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The refund is the obvious benefit, but there is a quieter one. Every eligible container you pull out of your general waste is weight that no longer goes to landfill, and the landfill levy is charged per tonne. So a container scheme process does two jobs: it earns the 10 cent refund, and it lightens the levied general bin at the same time.
It also keeps your commingled recycling cleaner. When staff are already sorting cans and bottles for the refund, the rest of the recycling stream tends to come out tidier too, which cuts the contamination that gets a recycling load downgraded to general waste.
The schemes reward volume and consistency, not complexity. A single clearly labelled collection bin in the right spot, emptied on a routine, beats an elaborate system nobody follows. If the empties have to travel past the general bin to reach the collection point, they will end up in the general bin.
Scheme rules, accepted items and refund-point arrangements vary by state and change over time, particularly as wine and spirit bottles are phased in. Confirm what your state scheme accepts, and any business or charity arrangements, with the scheme operator before you commit. The 10 cent refund itself is consistent across the country.
How much is the container refund? 10 cents per eligible container, the same in every state that runs a scheme.
Are wine and spirit bottles refundable? Queensland already accepts them and Western Australia added them from 1 July 2026. South Australia, New South Wales and the ACT are scheduled to follow from 2027. Elsewhere they are generally not yet eligible, so check your state scheme.
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Every mainland state plus Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory. South Australia started in 1977, New South Wales in 2017, Queensland in 2018, Western Australia in 2020 and Victoria in 2023. The refund is 10 cents per eligible container everywhere.
Generally drink containers between 150 millilitres and 3 litres that carry the refund marking. Plain milk and containers over 3 litres are excluded. Wine and spirit bottles are accepted in Queensland and WA, with SA, NSW and the ACT scheduled to follow from 2027. Check your state scheme's accepted-items list.
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