Containers for Change baskets roll out across Cooloola Coast

Published on 29 September 2026

Containers for change basket at Tin Can Bay.jpg

Giving bottles and cans another life and keeping the Cooloola Coast clean is becoming easier, with new Containers for Change baskets rolled out across Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay.

Gympie Regional Council has installed 15 green baskets alongside public waste bins, giving residents and visitors a simple place to leave bottles and cans for others to collect and return for 10 cents each through the Containers for Change scheme.

The rollout comes as more Queenslanders embrace the scheme, managed by not-for-profit Container Exchange (COEX), with more than 1.92 billion containers returned through refund points across the state in 2025, delivering more than $192 million in refunds to Queenslanders.

Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said the initiative formed part of Council’s long-term approach to reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and encouraging greater recycling across the region.

“Council’s Waste Strategy 2025–2035 estimates the Bonnick Road Waste Management Facility will reach capacity within the coming years, which is why practical initiatives like this are so important,” Mayor Hartwig said.

“Keeping recyclable containers out of landfill helps extend the life of our current facility while giving Council valuable time to continue planning for the region’s next waste management facility, which will support the Gympie region for at least the next 50 years.

“This is a more practical approach than incentives such as kerbside pickups or dump vouchers, which would place additional pressure on a landfill nearing capacity and add costs that would ultimately fall to ratepayers to fund.”

Division 1 Councillor Jess Milne said the baskets provided Cooloola Coast residents and visitors with another way to keep recycling simple while out and about.

“We all have a part to play in reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill, and these baskets provide a practical way to make a difference,” Cr Milne said.

“Whether you’re leaving a container in one of the baskets or collecting them to claim the 10-cent refund, every container returned helps reduce waste and gives valuable materials another life.”

A total of 30 baskets have been provided to Council free of charge by COEX, with further locations across the region to be considered following the initial Cooloola Coast trial.

Most containers between 150mL and 3L displaying the 10-cent refund mark can be placed in the baskets, including:

  • aluminium cans
  • glass bottles
  • plastic drink bottles
  • steel drink cans
  • liquid paperboard cartons

Eligible containers can be taken to refund points across the Gympie region to receive a 10-cent refund per container, including:

  • Lot 4/3 Scullett Drive, Tin Can Bay
  • 32 Rainbow Beach Road, Rainbow Beach
  • 49 Yabba Creek Road, Imbil
  • Shed 4, 4 Smith Street, Glanmire
  • 6 Mile Oval, 610 Bruce Highway, Glanmire
  • Gympie Green Solutions, 6 Bonnick Road, Gympie

For more information, visit Reduce, Reuse, Recycle | Gympie Regional Council

For more information about the Containers for Change Program, including how to find your nearest refund point, visit Containers for Change QLD

ENDS 

IMAGE CAPTION: Containers for change basket at Tin Can Bay

 

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