Since launching their return for charity bins in February 2025, Canberra centre has seen strong support from businesses and shoppers.
Canberra Centre Operations Manager Clare Glassford first came up with the idea for the return for charity bins when looking for ways to improve sustainability at the centre.
“I started looking into ways that we could be more sustainable around the centre and this (the return for charity bins) is what we came up with” says Clare.
After landing on the idea, Clare wasted no time getting to work on the bin designs.
Each bin is fitted with a Charopy barcode scanner to check that only eligible containers are returned. Clare designed and built the rest of the unit.
“I built these from IKEA cabinets, and my dad cut in the hole for the TV,“ Clare explained.
Clare’s innovation has paid off, with over 27,976 containers returned through the bins since launch, and many centre retailers are now on board, recycling their bottles and cans through the ACT CDS.
Refunds from the containers returned through the bins are donated to a local charity partner who is changed every few months.
You can read more about the Return for Charity Bins at Canberra Centre on their website.
