Our love of wine is about to pour into the state’s recycling efforts, with Containers for Change set to expand its range of accepted containers as of July 1, 2026. For the first time, glass wine and spirit bottles will be accepted for a ten-cent refund, alongside casks, plastic-packaged wine, and even flavoured milk cartons.
Recycling gets rosé-ier
It’s an expansion that brings WA’s wine culture — from our love of Margaret River’s cellar doors to backyard dinner parties — into the fold of the state’s most successful recycling initiative. When the changes take effect, almost every beverage container between 150 millilitres and three litres will be eligible for a refund.
That means not only wine and spirit bottles, but also wine packaged in plastic, sachets and casks, water casks, concentrated fruit and vegetable juices, and flavoured milk and cordial. The only exceptions are plain milk and registered health tonics, which should still be placed in the yellow recycling bins.
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn commented, “Expanding Containers for Change to include wine and spirit bottles delivers on our continued commitment to cutting landfill and keeping valuable resources in WA’s circular economy.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Since Containers for Change launched in October 2020, WA’s recycling rate for beverage containers has jumped from 35% to 65%. More than 4.5 billion containers have already been saved from landfill, with glass bottles leading the charge at an impressive 80% return rate. The expansion is expected to add another 200 million containers each year, including as many as 130 million glass bottles.
In the 2023–24 financial year alone, about 39,000 tonnes of glass collected through refund points was recycled into new bottles — proof that the scheme is helping to save our environment..
Boosting cash in the community
The scheme has also proven to be an effective community fundraiser. Locals regularly choose to donate their refunds, and more than $16.7 million has been raised for over 8,200 registered charities, schools, and community groups across the state. With wine and spirit bottles now joining the mix, those numbers are set to rise.
Premier Roger Cook said, “Western Australians have strongly embraced Containers for Change, saving billions of containers from landfill and generating millions of dollars for local charities and community groups”.
“By expanding this popular program to include wine and spirit bottles, we are making it easier to recycle — opening the scheme to an estimated 200 million additional containers each year,” Cook added.
