Cape York’s recycling power couple, Kenny and Stef Reid, say they hope the government inquiry into the container refund scheme will help remote Indigenous communities be able to access the program year-round. Photo: Supplied.
Cape York’s Containers for Change operator is hoping a government inquiry into the refund scheme can help communities that currently have no access to the program during the wet season.
The State Government announced a Parliamentary inquiry into Queensland’s container refund scheme on 20 February as the return rate continues to fall short of the legislated target return rate of 85 per cent amid claims the former Labor government failed to review the program to determine why the numbers were falling short.
Kenny Reid, who owns Auswaste Environmental Services and manages Containers for Change across Cape York with partner Stef, said he believed the installation of reverse vending machines in the many communities that do not have a depot could increase return rates.
In addition to depots in Cooktown, Weipa and New Mapoon, the pair also managed a fortnightly mobile collection run covering more than 4,500km across the Cape, a service not possible during the wet season.
“We visit all the Indigenous communities once a fortnight, and that goes reasonably well during the dry, but obviously, during the wet season, we can’t travel on the roads to get to them,” Mr Reid explained.
“That’s where we’d like to trial a couple of reverse vending machines that could potentially get rid of that shortfall, and is more accessible to the people in those communities.”
He said the beauty of the reverse vending machine was that it would not need to be staffed at all times, which was another challenge in making Containers for Change accessible in remote communities.
“Wujal Wujal opened and then closed, just due to volume; it’s really hard for small communities to run a change point, because you don’t have the volume to sustain a living,” Mr Reid said.
“Some of our points are a bit the same, but we negotiated pretty heavily with Containers for Change to make sure that we could operate successfully and continue to supply the service to all throughout the Cape.
“You do have to service [the reverse vending machines], but if one plays up or something like that, you can at least fly into those communities during the wet season and get it sorted.”
Mr Reid said in the communities with depots, return rates were not too bad, with around 60,000 to 70,000 containers returned in Cooktown each week, but added with the influx of tourists during the dry season, it was difficult to get an accurate return rate.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said the inquiry would help the government identify how the program could be improved to put more refunds in Queenslanders’ pockets.
“We promised a fresh start for Queensland, and that includes getting Containers for Change back on track so more Queenslanders can benefit from refunds,” Minister Powell said.
“We need to understand why the program has fallen short of its targets under the former government and how it can be improved to deliver more benefits for Queenslanders.
“The inquiry will also assess deposit location coverage, to help boost Queenslanders’ access.”
The inquiry committee will be tasked with delivering a report to Parliament by August 2025.
