THE Mornington Peninsula Shire has emerged as one of the top performers in Victoria’s container deposit scheme (CDS) with residents and community groups pocketing more than $2 million in refunds. The scheme allows people to return eligible drink containers for a 10-cent refund at participating collection points. Returned drink containers can be transformed into all kinds of new things, reducing litter and promoting recycling.
Eastern Victoria MP Tom McIntosh announced last week that the Mornington Peninsula Shire was among the highest local government areas (LGA) statewide for total numbers of containers recycled, with 27,117,810 containers returned in the past 12 months. “This has put $2,711,781 back in the pockets of residents and community groups,” McIntosh said since the scheme launched on 1 November last year.
According to government data that showed containers recorded to date, the Mornington Peninsula Shire LGA was ranked 10th in the state followed by the Frankston LGA with a total of 26,001,824 containers returned. Neighbouring council City of Kingston LGA was ranked as the 14th highest in Victoria with 20,974,242 containers returned. Hume LGA took out top spot with 55,847,307 total containers returned, generating a whopping $5.5 million refund for residents and community groups. The government said Victorians were recycling an average of 145 containers per return, with more than 26 million containers deposited the week following the AFL Grand Final – the biggest week of returns on record.
McIntosh, who recently toured the CDS Vic Depot in Mornington, run by Return-It, congratulated the peninsula community, saying “locals have jumped on this scheme – taking the opportunity both to save some money and look after the environment”. “It’s outstanding that everyone, whether they’re residents or community groups, has embraced it the way they have.”
Return-It CEO Marc Churchin said a total of 290 million containers had been collected. “Our network of collection points has grown significantly, making recycling more accessible for thousands of Victorians,” he said. “Through strong partnerships with local businesses and not-for-profits, we’ve seen tangible benefits for both the environment and our communities.”
First published in the Mornington News – 26 November 2024
