Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council has installed 48 Return and Earn bin baskets on public bins to improve public place recycling and keep eligible bottles and cans out of the litter stream and landfill.
The bin baskets are attached to council bins in high-traffic areas to enable people to leave their drink containers for someone else to collect.
Residents or community groups can then easily collect the containers from the bin baskets to recycle at a Return and Earn location for the 10c refund.
A recent trial of the simple but innovative solution by the Return and Earn scheme coordinator Exchange for Change, found the bin baskets were effective at reducing drink containers going into the public bins and landfill by up to 80 per cent.
The Return and Earn bin baskets have been installed at key locations in the following areas:
- Queanbeyan
- Googong
- Karabar
- Jerrabomberra
- Bungendore
- Braidwood
- Captains Flat