Cameron Irvine may have seemed like Sale United Football Club’s resident oddball, rummaging through bins at the end of game day for empty cans and bottles, squirrelling away his findings in cardboard boxes. But two years on, there has proven to be a method to his madness.
When Sale United Football Club’s Treasurer heard whispers that Victoria would introduce the container deposit scheme, Cameron Irvine began diligently collecting and storing away empty cans and bottles purchased at the club, driven by the knowledge that soon, Victorians would be able to receive a 10-cent refund for returning eligible drink cans, bottles, and cartons at refund points across the state.
On November 1, two and a half years after Irvine began amassing empty bottles and cans, Container Deposit Scheme Vic, or CDS Vic, was officially launched as part of the state government’s $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector.
“I heard rumours that it was going to start up, and I thought I might as well get a head start,” Irvine said.
“Halfway through, I started to think, ‘hmm, I’m not sure whether this is going to happen’, but thankfully, it did.”
On Wednesday (December 6), Irvine returned more than 15,000 empty cans and bottles to the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale, one of Sale’s three CDS refund points.
With 15,428 empty cans and bottles in hundreds of cardboard boxes, a convoy was called upon to transport Irvine’s collection effort, filling one hatchback, one sedan, a ute, two SUVs and two trailers.
“There were 7128 bottles, 8200 crushed cans and about 100 plastic bottles,” Irvine said.
After going above and beyond to collect and store empty bottles and cans sold at the club, to the extent of sifting through bins after game day, Irvine’s efforts have proven to be worthwhile.
“It did take a fair bit of effort to do it, but I think it was well and truly worth it,” Irvine said.
“Halfway through, I realised it was worth it in the saving for the bin costs as well.
“If you imagine all those cans and bottles in blue bins at $60-$70 an empty, there are probably at least 12 empties there, so that’s a pretty big cost saving.
“Plus, on top of that, you’re actually generating money.”
Irvine’s collection of 15,428 eligible cans and bottles ranked among the largest returns at the Tambo Recycling Centre Sale since the scheme opened, falling just short of the top deposit of 19,000.
Kwik Tip Bins employee Tim Russell said he is amazed by the community response to CDS Vic.
“More than 600,000 cans and bottles have been deposited just in the Sale area since the scheme began,” Russell said.
“We’re actually number one in the state; for cans and bottles returned, we are number one by a long way.”
According to Russell, the average deposit is about $25, equivalent to 250 eligible drink cans, bottles, and cartons.
“Since the scheme started, we are seeing more and more kids collecting and returning cans and bottles to earn some pocket money and a lot of grandparents collecting for their grandkids,” he said.
“People are also collecting for charities, like St Vinnes; they have people collecting for them.”
There are four options to return eligible containers: reverse vending machines, depots, over-the-counter sites, and pop-up refund points.
Depending on the type of refund point, Victorians can choose whether to receive an electronic refund, a cash refund, a retail voucher or donate their refund to a charity or community organisation registered with the scheme.
To find refund points near you, visit https://cdsvic.org.au/locations
