Container Deposit Scheme

• A Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) is a way to recycle your drink containers, while being rewarded with a 10-cent refund for every eligible can, carton and bottle returned to a reverse vending machine. 

• There are many shared benefits with a CDS, including transforming the waste and recycling system, taking litter away from our environment, and reducing waste to landfill. 
• The containers collected in the CDS are taken to processing facilities to be recycled and then are transformed into new products again. 

• Purchase an eligible drink.
• Return your empty drink container to a refund point. 
• Receive a 10-cent refund for every eligible container you return. You can choose to keep the funds or donate to a participating charity, community group, environmental group, educational organisation or sports group. At selected collection points you can choose to receive your refund as a Coles voucher.
• A minimum of 10 cents, and a maximum of $50 may be issued on a single Coles voucher and when redeeming in store multiple vouchers can be used in a single transaction.  
• You can then redeem your voucher in-store for cash or as part of a payment for your shopping.
• Your returned container is given a new lease on life. The material is recycled and remanufactured into a new product, saving it from landfill or littering the environment.

• Eligible containers vary by state or territory. We suggest looking for the eligibility requirements, on your state or territory’s scheme website. See below FAQ “Where can I find out more about my local CDS” for links to more information.

• You can also look on the individual container’s packaging and identify the 10c label to see if it’s eligible.  However not all containers are eligible in all state and territory’s CDS schemes so please check locally.  The RVMs will only accept eligible containers.

• Generally, the containers that can be returned are ones often consumed on the go and contribute the most to street litter, these include: Cans (e.g., soft drinks), Bottles (e.g., beer bottles), Cartons, Juice boxes or poppers.

• This varies by scheme and the details can be found by going to the individual state and territory scheme links in the section below.

• Every eligible bottle can or carton you return is worth 10 cents.   

• Coles has been working with CDS operators in relevant jurisdictions to locate sites where we can host a reverse vending machine (RVM) close to our supermarkets. 
• One of the available payment options at a RVM is a voucher which can be redeemed in a Coles Supermarkets or Coles Local store for cash or as part of a payment for your shopping.
• A voucher for Coles can be used at any Coles Supermarket or Coles Local store around Australia. Vouchers cannot be redeemed at Liquorland, First Choice Liquor, Vintage Cellars or Coles Express.
• A minimum of 10 cents, and a maximum of $50 may be issued on a single Coles voucher and when redeeming in store multiple vouchers can be used in a single transaction. Vouchers are valid for 3 years from the date of issue. 
• Where vouchers are redeemed for in-store purchases and have a value greater than the transaction value, you will receive the unused balance of your voucher as cash. 
• Vouchers can only be used at serviced checkouts and must be surrendered upon redemption. 
• Vouchers can be redeemed after any savings and discounts.   
• Vouchers that have been defaced, damaged, altered, photocopied or have passed their expiry date will not be accepted. 

Please refer to your local Container Deposit Scheme operator website for location information. See below FAQ “Where can I find out more about my local CDS” for links to more information

Check out the below list to find out more information on your state or territory’s scheme or to locate your closest CDS collection point:

• ACT: CDS was established in 2018 and has 18 return points collecting more than 379 million containers since it’s commencement. Visit  ACT Government CDS website for more information.

• NSW: CDS was established in 2017 and currently has over 650 return and earn points across NSW. Visit NSW Government CDS website for more information. 

• NT: CDS was established in 2012. Visit Northern Territory’s Environment Protection Authority website for more information.  

• TAS: CDS launches 1 May 2025 and will have 49 refund points. For more information see the TasRecycle website. 

• QLD: CDS was established in 2018. Since then, more than 9,895,233,217 containers have been returned through Refund points. Visit Queensland’s Containers for Change website for more information.

•  VIC: CDS was established in November 2023 and collected more than 1 billion containers in the first year of operation. Visit Victorian Government website for more information. 

• WA: CDS was established in 2020 and has over 260 locations across Western Australia. Visit Containers for Change WA website for more information. 

• Coles Container Deposit scheme vouchers are available for redemption at your local Coles store. 

• Customers may redeem Coles Container Deposit Scheme vouchers at any mainlane checkout serviced by a team member. Redemption of these vouchers is not currently available at the Self Service Checkout. 

• Customers may present Coles Container Deposit Scheme vouchers to make full or partial payment of purchases or redeem for cash only. 

• Multiple vouchers can be redeemed in a single transaction. 

• Where Coles Container Deposit Scheme vouchers are redeemed for in-store purchases and have a value greater than the transactional value, customers will receive the unused balance of the voucher as cash only.

• Vouchers from other supermarket retailers (e.g. Woolworths, IGA) cannot be redeemed at Coles.

• Customers may present a digital Coles Container Deposit Scheme voucher on their phone. It can be identified by a Coles logo appearing on the digital voucher. 

• Container Deposit vouchers are the responsibility of the issuer and are valid for 3 years from issue date. Vouchers cannot be redeemed at Coles Online or Coles Liquor. Offer is only valid after savings and discounts. Barcodes are single use and once redeemed cannot be redeemed again.