It’s time for candles and cake, as Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme has celebrated its first birthday. Since launching in November 2023, CDS Vic has been embraced by the Victorian community, with more than one billion containers returned for recycling. At 10 cents per container, that means we’ve hit $100 million in refunds, with over $950,000 of that figure donated to charities and community groups.
Jim Round, CEO of the Scheme’s coordinator VicReturn, was thrilled with the community’s response.
“We are committed to seeing the scheme go from strength to strength over the next 12 months and the years ahead,” he said.
“We are working with community groups like Scouts and major sporting organisations like AFL Victoria and Tennis Victoria to reach as many Victorians as possible.”
CDS Vic marked the occasion with a brand-new campaign, encouraging Victorians to feel like a million bucks when they return their containers and get their refund. On top of that, we’ve launched an interactive recycling installation at Scienceworks, running until 27 January, and thrown a birthday party to thank our partners and zone operators for their hard work.
We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who’s supported the Scheme in its first year. Here’s to an even stronger 2025.
Want to know more?
- View our interactive map and find your closest return point
- Head to Scienceworks for our Message in a Bottle installation
- Check out our ‘Feel like a million bucks’ campaign
