WA FAQs

Most plastic and glass bottles, as well as drink cartons, cans and pouches, that are 150ml to 3L are accepted. 

This includes: 
• Most single-serve water and fizzy drink containers up to and including 3L. 
• Most single-serve alcohol containers, like beer bottles and pre-mixed spirits. 
• Flavoured milk containers that are 150ml to 999ml. 
• Coconut water, pure fruit, or vegetable juice containers that are 150ml to 999ml. 

The State Government has announced that Western Australia’s container deposit scheme expansion will officially start from 1 July 2026. Read more here , until this date, there is no change to what is currently accepted by our refund points and collection services.   

• Wine bottles and pure spirit bottles
• Over 3L plastic drink containers

• 1L or more; flavoured milk, pure juices, cask wines or cask water

• All white dairy or white plant-based milk

• Cordial

• Food cans
• Registered health tonics

The State Government has announced that Western Australia’s container deposit scheme expansion will officially start from 1 July 2026. Read more here , until this date, there is no change to what is currently accepted by our refund points and collection services.   

Containers sold before the planned expansion date will not be eligible for a 10¢ refund. Please continue recycling any new containers in the relevant bin as per the WasteSorted guidelines. 

Your containers need to be empty, whole, and identifiable.

They must not be broken into pieces or filled with liquid. The barcode must be visible and scannable for our Reverse Vending Machines to accept them.  Crushed cans or containers missing a label, can be returned through our Drop & Go service, as long as the operator can tell they’re eligible. 

We accept bottles with the lids on (as long as they’re empty) or with the lids removed. If you take the lids off, just bring them along and drop them into the lid bins at the refund point—we’ll recycle those too.

There are several reasons why a container refund point operator may refuse to accept your containers:

• If a person refuses to complete a declaration when asked to do so by the container refund point. 

• They are contaminated (i.e. contain sand, dirt, paint, petrol, noxious substances etc.) 

• The container is not recognisable as an eligible container (i.e. crushed beyond recognition or broken in the case of glass). 

• The container is not eligible under the scheme. 

• The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has been purchased interstate. 

• The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has already been redeemed or has been deposited from any kerbside recycling operator. 

TOMRA has more than 25 return points throughout Greater Perth. Our Self-Serve Kiosks are conveniently located in the carparks of shopping centres so you can return on the go! We have 5 large Recycling Centres across Perth – all with friendly staff, Reverse Vending Machines and the additional capacity to process large volumes through our Drop & Go service.  To find your nearest return point here. 

At TOMRA, we have 2 options to return your containers: 

Reverse Vending Machines  
available at all TOMRA locations. 

Reverse Vending Machines allow you to return your containers quickly and get your refund right away. Simply insert your empty containers into the chute at the front of the machine. Containers will be scanned to ensure they are eligible for a refund.  

When you’ve finished depositing the containers, the Reverse Vending Machine will issue the refund. 

You have the choice of how to receive your refund, with options including a cash voucher, digitally to your bank/PayPal account, or as a donation to a charity, school, sports or community group. For more information on how to get your refund, view more information below in our Refund section.

Drop & Go 
available at our Recycling Centres in Belmont, Kelmscott, Joondalup, Osborne Park and Myaree 

Drop and Go is TOMRA’s newest service, making it quick and easy to return containers – (especially in bulk!) Simply tip your containers into the designated bin, provide the staff with your Containers for Change Member number, and we will process for you! Your refund will go into your nominated bank or PayPal account within 48 hours of processing – but usually straight away! 

Once you return your 10¢ containers to a refund point, they are sorted, processed and sold to approved recyclers. 

Most of our approved recyclers are in Australia whilst some material is sent overseas for recycling. The good news is that more recycling capacity is being built here in Australia. The approved recyclers then turn your containers into new glass and plastic bottles, aluminium cans, and other items like clothing and plastic-based construction items. 

No matter when your containers are sent, we always stick to our #1 Rule: all accepted drink containers returned through Containers for Change must be recycled or reused. 

For more info on recycling outcomes, visit this page.

Simply return your containers at a Reverse Vending Machine and select the ‘Voucher’ option at the end of your session. 

You will receive a voucher to redeem at our redemption partner (either Woolworths, Coles or IGA). Simply present this voucher at the customer service desk to exchange for cash or at the checkouts to discount your grocery shop. 

To get your refund directly into your bank account, register for a Containers for Change Member number here. 

Choose the “Bank account” option if you wish to receive your refunds by electronic transfer. Provide your account name, BSB and account number as indicated, then click “Save”. Once you have saved your bank details, check the box “Make this my preferred payment method” to set it. 

At the RVM, scan your member number barcode before returning your containers. Your refund will be transferred to your nominated bank account within 1 business day.

To get your refund directly into your PayPal account, first register for a Containers for Change Member number here. 

Choose the “PayPal” option if you wish to receive your refunds as deposits into your PayPal account. To link your PayPal to your Containers for Change member number account, you’ll be prompted to log in to PayPal.  
Once you have logged in and linked both accounts, check the box “Make this my preferred payment method” to set it.  

At the RVM, scan your member number barcode before returning your containers. Your refund will be transferred to your PayPal account within 1 business day. 

There’s hundreds of charity, community groups, schools and not for profits in WA you can easily donate to! For both methods of donating below, 100% of your refund will go directly to the cause’s nominated bank account:

1)Simply visit the Directory of Good Causes and search for your favourite cause. Click to expand for more information and you will see a barcode. Take a screenshot or photo of the charities member number barcode, then scan it under the barcode reader at the RVM.  

2)Alternatively, to set your own member number barcode to donate every time to a charity, select your cause, then then mark the checkbox “Set as my charity” that you’ll find below the charity details. Scroll down to the bottom of the list to add the selected charity to your payment methods. Once you have set a charity as your donation option, check the box “Make this my preferred payment method” to finalise and set it. 

You can contact us on 1300 670 044 or email help.wa@tomra.com 

Our dedicated team of customer service professionals will work with you to ensure that your refund is recognised. 

TOMRA offers the ability to donate to any cause that has registered with Containers for Change, at all of our locations. To find out more, visit our Refund section! 

Each month, our Recycling Centres choose a different charity to be featured on our A1 boards onsite. This is usually chosen by our staff – who would be happy to take suggestions of which cause to feature next.  

Containers for Change is Western Australia’s container deposit scheme, providing West Aussies with many ways to return and recycle their 10¢ drink containers, whilst receiving a refund for doing so. We offer a trusted recycling solution for drink containers, and help to reduce litter across Western Australia.  

Returning your containers is as easy as 1,2,3: 
 
1. Collect and return your drink containers to us, so they can be recycled to live another life. Just check for the 10¢ mark. 

2. There are many ways you can return your 10¢ containers. Find your way, here.  

3. Receive a refund for every accepted container you return, which you can keep for yourself or donate to a good cause.  

Western Australian not-for-profit company WA Return Recycle Renew (WARRRL) is responsible for coordinating Containers for Change WA.  

Each refund point is independently owned, with TOMRA being one of over 75 organisations who run refund points across the state. 

Did you know that roughly four out of ten drink containers are currently going to general waste in Western Australia? 

It’s crazy when you think about it — especially because most drink containers are made from easily recyclable materials such as glass, plastic, aluminium and cardboard.  

Due to the high quality of our recycled container material, it is highly sought after by bottle to bottle recyclers. This means that bottles can be recycled into new bottles, and cans into new cans, positively impacting the environment by reducing the amount of virgin materials used in creating new drink containers. We call this the circular economy. 

When you return your containers to us, it’s not only about keeping them out of general waste and doing your bit for the environment—it’s also about having a direct, visible impact in your local community. 

The streets are cleaner, community groups are raising much-needed funding, there are more jobs being created every single day, and you’re receiving a refund for recycling. 

Containers for Change is a “product stewardship scheme”. This means we rely on the companies making the beverages to share the responsibility of ensuring the beverage containers don’t end up in general waste or polluting our environment. 

Here’s how it works! Beverage companies pay for the 10¢ and operating costs, supporting us to make Containers for Change convenient and accessible for all Western Australians, to improve recycling rates and reduce the number of containers that end up in general waste.