Since it was introduced last year, more than 17 million containers have been returned through Containers for Change in the Goldfields-Esperance region alone.
Key points:
- The CEO of Containers for Change WA says participation in the regions is higher than Perth
- Some regional areas haven't had access to household recycling prior to the scheme
- Despite some sites revamping their recycling, CEO Tim Cusack is calling on the mining industry to do more
Tim Cusack CEO of Containers for Change, WA's container deposit scheme (CDS), said 60 per cent of eligible containers sold in the area were returned.
Mr Cusack said that rate was 53 per cent for Perth.
Regions dive in on new scheme
Mr Cusack said that may be because regional areas are more community-focused.
"Regional areas tend to be more tight-knit," Mr Cusack said
"They have better connections with not-for-profits and community-based organisations when compared with metropolitan areas."
He said another factor may also be that some regional areas do not have access to other forms of recycling.
"That's partly because a lot of those communities have never had a household yellow lid bin."
"All that changed permanently on the first of October, where for the first time communities could recycle, certainly all their drink containers."
Household recycling drops in response
The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, which has an existing waste recycling program, reported collections from regular recycling bins have dropped in volume by almost one quarter in the past year.
Waste Management Team Leader Dylan Martini said that drop was due to the commencement of the container deposit scheme.
"We've seen a decrease in 23 per cent of the volume of recycling, and that recycling has instead gone directly to the container deposit scheme," Mr Martini said.
Mining companies need to do more
But Tim Cusack from Containers for Change said although the Goldfields and other regional areas of WA were outperforming Perth, four out of 10 eligible containers still were not being recycled effectively.
"We know a lot of that is really across the mining sector," Mr Cusack said.
Daragh Maher is a senior recycling expert with sustainability consultancy, WRITE Solutions.
Mr Maher has collaborated with the operators of the Nova mine site in the southern Goldfields to transition the site to using fully compostable materials.
"We've got a controlled camp, so the materials that come in, the materials that come out, it's a controlled space," he said.
"If we provide the education for the people that are on site, we can actually get some really good results."