The Western Australian Government has announced that Western Australia’s Containers for Change program will expand to include wine and spirit bottles from 1 July 2026.
The government said the expansion delivers on an election commitment and has been fast-tracked in recognition of the program’s strong community support.
Containers for Change, introduced in October 2020, provides a 10-cent refund for eligible beverage containers and has diverted billions of items from landfill.
Premier Roger Cook said the decision builds on the program’s success. “Western Australians have strongly embraced Containers for Change, saving billions of containers from landfill and generating millions of dollars for local charities and community groups,” Cook said.
“By expanding this popular program to include wine and spirit bottles we are making it easier to recycle – opening the scheme to an estimated 200 million additional containers each year.”
The expansion will cover a wide range of new items, including glass and plastic wine packaging, sachets, casks, water in casks, concentrated fruit and vegetable juices, and flavoured milk and cordial.
Plain milk and registered health tonics will remain excluded and should be placed in household recycling bins.
According to the state government, more than 4.5 billion containers have been collected under the scheme since its launch, lifting the beverage container recycling rate from 35 per cent to 65 per cent.
Glass bottles currently have the highest return rate of all container types at 80 per cent, with around 39,000 tonnes of glass recycled into new bottles in the 2023–24 financial year.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the expansion reinforces WA’s commitment to the circular economy.
“Expanding Containers for Change to include wine and spirit bottles delivers on our continued commitment to cutting landfill and keeping valuable resources in WA’s circular economy,” he said.
“The expansion also enables social enterprises, community groups and schools to collect more containers and raise money through the refund scheme.”
The government estimates the inclusion of wine and spirit bottles will create new employment opportunities, building on more than 840 jobs already supported by Containers for Change.
Cook said, “With more than 840 jobs created through the Containers for Change program to date, this expansion will help diversify our economy and create more employment opportunities for Western Australians.”
The program has also been a source of funding for community groups, with more than $16.7 million donated to charities, schools, and organisations since 2020.
WA Return Recycle Renew (WARRRL), which manages the program, said it is preparing for the rollout in 2026.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cusack said, “We will be working with all our stakeholders over the coming months to ensure we are operationally ready for the expansion in mid-2026. Refund points will not be accepting any new 10 cent containers until the launch date.”
Cusack added that the public should continue to use the correct disposal channels in the meantime. “We encourage the community to continue to dispose of their containers in the relevant household bin, as per the WasteSorted guidelines,” he said.
