Is Containers for Change currently accepting the new containers?
No. Please continue to place these containers in your yellow-lid recycling bin.
The State Government recently announced that Containers for Change will expand in mid-2026 to accept new containers including wine and spirits bottles.
When will the expansion come into effect?
The expansion of Containers for Change will commence mid-2026.
Why is it expanding?
The State Government announced the expansion on Saturday 8 February, as a pre-election commitment.
Since its inception, Containers for Change has proven to be a game-changer for recycling, litter reduction, community fundraising and job creation.
As of 31 August 2025, more than 4.56 billion containers have been collected for recycling through refund points and material recovery facilities. This has led to over $16.77 million being donated to more than 8,000 registered charities, schools and community groups who participate in the scheme as a refund or donation point.
The expansion is expected to see an estimated 200 million additional containers become eligible for refund annually, including 90–130 million glass bottles.
The expansion will continue to improve employment opportunities, with 846 people currently employed, including 53 First Nations people and 127 are people with disability.
What drink containers will be included in the expansion?
The expansion will include almost all beverage containers between 150 millilitres (ml) and 3 litres, other than plain milk and registered health tonics. This includes:
grape wine and spirits in glass bottles up to 3 litresgrape wine in plastic containers 250 ml–3 litresgrape wine in sachets 250 ml–3 litresgrape wine in casks 1–3 litreswater in casks 1–3 litresall fruit and vegetable juice, flavoured milk and cordial containers up to 3 litres.
All new beverage containers included in Containers for Change will be eligible for a 10 cent consumer refund.
What do I need to do?
It’s good to be across Containers for Change announcements, however, no action from you is necessary until the expansion takes effect.
Until mid-2026, there will be no change to the containers that are currently accepted at refund points.
To stay updated, visit Containers for Change WA | Giving 10¢ Containers Another Life
Can I start to collect the new containers now?
No. The 10-cent refund will only apply to containers purchased after the scheme expansion date in mid-2026.
Under the legislation, containers collected prior to the commencement date will not be eligible for refunds.
The scheme costs will not have been paid by beverage companies for the refunds, collection, sorting and processing of containers sold before the scheme starts.
Recycling wine bottles in the yellow-lid bin remains the best option until the Containers for Change expansion is in effect.
Remind me, which containers are accepted now?
Here’s a simple guide or download the Containers for Change WA app.
Most single-serve water and fizzy drink containers up to and including 3LMost single-serve alcohol containers, like beer bottles and pre-mixed spiritsFlavoured milk containers between 150mL to 999mLCoconut water, pure fruit and vegetable juice containers between 150mL to 999mLWill the 10¢ refund increase?
No, the refund amount is not set to increase when the scheme expands. The refund amount is set by the State Government, as outlined in the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (Container Deposit Scheme) Regulations 2019. Any future changes to the refund amount would occur at a national level.
Why are you adding new containers to the scheme?
Expanding the number of beverage products and types of containers accepted by Containers for Change will lead to improved recycling outcomes and financial benefits for schools, community groups and social enterprises and employment opportunities across the State.
Containers for Change has been successful in increasing recycling of currently eligible beverage containers from 34 per cent to over 65 per cent of containers.
Increasing the number of eligible containers will simplify the scheme, promoting even greater participation from the community.
National alignment of eligible container types and sizes is also an important step in making the scheme more accessible and efficient.
Why weren’t these products included in the scheme in the first place?
WA aligned Containers for Change with container deposit schemes in other jurisdictions to provide a consistent consumer experience across state and territory borders and to simplify trade across borders.
How many additional containers are expected to be collected if the expansion is implemented?
It is estimated that an extra 200 million containers would be available for collection each year.
Would a fourth bin for glass, such as has been introduced in Victoria, be a better way to improve recycling for wine bottles?
Containers for Change provides a stable funding model by which beverage suppliers fund the scheme.
At the end of each month, beverage suppliers send in the number of containers they have sold and are billed by the Scheme Coordinator per container.
Implementing a fourth bin for glass would instead place the responsibility for funding the cost of recycling glass bottles on local governments and ratepayers.
The scheme has been successful to date in recycling around 80 per cent of all eligible glass bottles – the highest recovery rate for any material.
Glass bottles collected from refund points are a clean, high-value product which can be processed in WA then sent to Orora Glass in South Australia to be made into new glass bottles.
WA Premier Roger Cook promised to expand Containers for Change as an election commitment, so why will it take until mid-2026 to roll this out?
As the lead agency on the expansion of the scheme, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has consulted widely with all stakeholders, including the beverage industry. One of the key considerations is to minimise costs and reduce administrative burden, to ensure Containers for Change is beneficial to both the industry and consumers.
Additionally, sufficient lead time is required to ensure the network of refund points has adequate capacity for the increase in the number containers they will be required to manage.
What are the financial imposts on winegrowers to participate in the scheme and how will you address these impacts?
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has consulted with all key stakeholders, including the wine and spirit industry, and will ensure there are transition periods for labels to be changed so producers are not out of pocket.
Small producers will have the option to report sales volumes and pay scheme costs less often than bigger suppliers, reducing the administrative burden.
Why are plain milk containers not included when flavoured milk containers are?
Plain milk is a staple food product, unlike flavoured milks and other containers eligible for Containers for Change.
Plain milk includes plain dairy milk, plain soy milk, plain oat milk, plain almond milk and any other type of plain milk. As milk is usually consumed in the home the containers should be recycled via the yellow lid bin.
Unlike beer, spirits, soft drink, etc all Australian wines are taxed 29 per cent (Wine Equalisation Tax) plus GST. Winemakers have concerns regarding the industry’s sustainability if they have to pay for this scheme. What’s your response to them?
Wine Equalisation Tax is a Commonwealth Government tax and a number of products that pay the Wine Equalisation Tax are already included in Containers for Change. These include sake, mead, pear and apple cider, and fruit wines such as plum and peach wine.
Containers for Change is an environmental initiative focused on boosting recycling and building a circular economy for beverage containers. All major beverage types already participate, including those with existing tax obligations, including beer and spirit producers.
Excluding wine would compromise fairness and consistency, especially as most states already include or plan to include wine in their CDS programs.
Why is grape wine in glass bottles only now being included in Containers for Change when grape wine in aluminium cans has been included since the scheme was introduced?
The original design of Containers for Change was to align with the schemes in other jurisdictions.
The beverage products included in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland schemes were based on those used in South Australia, so Western Australia adopted the same model.
Expanding the scope of beverage products in Containers for Change will simplify the scheme for all beverage suppliers, refund point operators and members of the public.
Has Containers for Change been too complicated for consumers to understand which products are in and which products are out?
The success of Containers for Change in increasing the recovery and recycling rate of eligible beverage containers from 34 per cent prior to the commencement of the scheme to more than 65 per by June 2024 has been due to widespread community support.
The scheme continues to evolve and improve and these new changes are expected to make it simpler to use.
You are proposing to include foil-lined cartons, casks and sachets in Containers for Change, but we know that already councils won’t accept these in yellow-lid recycling bins. Will these containers actually get recycled?
Yes, all containers included in the scheme must be recycled by law. In the case of foil-lined cartons, like small juice boxes (which are currently eligible), these are currently sent to a recycling facility in Europe and the costs associated with recycling are included in the costs for those beverage suppliers.
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