Western Australia · Perth
Container deposit in WA: what you can return
In Western Australia, eligible drink containers earn a 10 cent refund through Containers for Change, running since October 2020. Since 1 July 2026 that covers most drink containers between 150 millilitres and 3 litres, including wine and spirit bottles, cordial and juice. Plain milk is excluded. Empty them, lids on or off, and keep them whole for a vending machine.
Sources Containers for Change WA: scheme expansionContainers for Change WA: FAQ on lids, crushing and the 10c markWA Government: container deposit scheme
What do I do with drink containers in WA?
- Check the mark Eligible containers carry the scheme's refund mark. If it is missing, check the scheme's eligibility list or app before you bin it.
- Empty it Every scheme wants the container empty. Lids, crushing and sorting rules differ by scheme, so read the state rules below before you bag them up.
- Bag them by type Most depots pay faster if aluminium, glass and plastic are separated.
Containers for Change has run in WA since Oct 2020, paying 10c a container. Since 1 July 2026 the scheme also takes wine and spirit bottles and casks, all fruit and vegetable juice and cordial containers, and flavoured milk, juice and water cartons. Plain milk stays out. Lids on or off since 1 July 2025, as long as the container is empty. Staffed depots take crushed containers they can identify; reverse vending machines need a scannable barcode. Newly eligible containers may lack the 10c mark for up to three years, so use the scheme's barcode checker.
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Which containers can I return in WA?
Since 1 July 2026, most drink containers between 150 millilitres and 3 litres: aluminium cans, glass and plastic bottles, and cartons, now including wine and spirit bottles and casks, all fruit and vegetable juice and cordial containers, and flavoured milk, juice and water cartons. Plain milk and registered health tonic containers stay out. Look for the 10c mark; newly eligible containers can take up to three years to be relabelled, so check the barcode with the scheme's app if the mark is missing.
Do I need to take the lids off?
No. Since 1 July 2025, WA refund points accept containers with lids on or off, as long as they are empty. Crushed containers are accepted at staffed depots if the operator can tell what they are. Self-serve reverse vending machines need a scannable barcode, so keep containers whole for those.
Where is my nearest Containers for Change refund point?
Refund points run across Perth and regional WA as staffed depots, reverse vending machines and bag-drops. Check the scheme's locator at containersforchange.com.au/wa before you travel because locations change.
What happens to containers that aren't eligible?
Plain milk bottles and registered health tonic containers are not refundable in WA. A container without the 10c mark may still be eligible if it was added in July 2026, so check its barcode first. Anything genuinely ineligible is still recyclable: yellow-lid bin, never bagged.
Need it gone this week?
Compare council collection, recycling and pickup options on the skip bin hire page for Perth.