In exciting news for the ACT community, four new drop and go pods will soon open, making it even easier for Canberrans to recycle their drink containers and earn a 10c refund for every eligible bottle, can and carton they return.

 The first two new pods are located at:

• Gordon district playing field, number 2 carpark off Heidelberg Street (behind the Lanyon Vikings Club) in Conder
• Richardson neighbourhood oval carpark in May Gibbs Close, Richardson.

The self-service drop and go pods will go-live in the week commencing 7 July and will be open from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.

Two more drop and go pods will be located in Kaleen and Dickson and are expected to launch in mid-July.

The four new drop and go pods will bring the number of return points in ACT to 22, including reverse-vending machines, cash-back depots, drop and go points and donation stations.

Danielle Smalley, CEO of ACT CDS scheme coordinator Exchange for Change, says the strong success of the scheme is a sign the ACT is embracing sustainability more than ever.

“It is incredible to see the strong enthusiasm from the ACT community for the scheme, with 90 per cent of residents in support of the scheme and 7 out of 10 having participated.

“In seven short years, the scheme has resulted in nearly $40 million in container refunds back in people’s pockets, helping people save for a special goal, family holidays and everyday expenses.

“In addition to the economic benefits, the ACT CDS is delivering strong social and environmental benefits. It is an increasingly popular fundraising stream for ACT charities and not-for-profits all while ensuring bottles, cans and cartons don’t end up in landfill and instead, are recycled into new containers and other products.”

Marc Churchin, CEO of ACT CDS network operator Return-It, says they’re excited to expand the ACT CDS return point network.

“We’re thrilled to launch four new drop and go pods and make drink container recycling even more accessible for the community. Every bottle, can and carton returned is a positive step towards reducing litter and landfill, and building a more sustainable future,” said Mr Churchin.

The ACT CDS is an ACT Government initiative delivered in partnership with scheme coordinator Exchange for Change and network operator Return-It. The scheme is an example of extended producer responsibility and is funded by the beverage industry.

To find your nearest return point or learn more about the scheme, visit www.actcds.org.au.

ACT CDS fun facts

• Nearly 400 million drink containers have been returned for recycling through the return point network by the ACT community since the scheme began on 30 June 2018 resulting in nearly $40 million in container refunds back in people’s pockets.
• An additional 273 million containers have been returned via kerbside recycling since scheme commencement.
• The impact of recycling 400 million containers through the ACT CDS is equivalent to:  
  • water savings to fill 1070 Olympic swimming pools
  • energy savings to power 4963 Aussie homes for an entire year. 
  • CO-2 emission savings equivalent to taking 21468 cars off the road annually. 

• The current 12-month rolling redemption rate is 69 per cent – this means that over 2 out of every 3 containers supplied into the ACT are being redeemed through the scheme, increasing recycling rates and reducing the beverage industry’s reliance on virgin PET, glass and aluminium.   
• 90 per cent of ACT residents support the scheme and 70 per cent have participated, the majority doing so monthly.

• There are currently 18 return points available in the ACT including reverse-vending machines, drop and go pods, drop and go points, donation stations and cash-back depots for bulk collections. The opening of the four new pods will make it 22 return points available to the ACT community.

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