Make a return
CDS Vic provides a 10 cent refund for every eligible drink container returned. Each bottle, can and carton that you return helps to divert valuable containers from landfill.
There are hundreds of refund points across Victoria, so look out for your local. The network has more than 600 refund points.
Get involved
In partnership with city councils, these baskets offer a new way to recycle containers on the go.
Are you a school that wants to get involved with CDS Vic? You will find lots of resources and guidance here.
Find out more about participating in Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme.
Our partners
AFL Victoria and CDS Vic have teamed up to support local football clubs across the state in raising funds and promoting sustainability. Through this exciting partnership, CDS Vic is now the Official Recycling Partner of AFL Victoria until 2027.
Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme is proud to partner with Sustainability Victoria's ResourceSmart Schools to empower Victorian schools to recycle and reduce waste.
CDS Vic is proud to announce its groundbreaking partnership with Tennis Victoria. This exciting initiative aims to reduce waste, promote recycling, and support grassroots tennis communities across the state to raise funds.
We have joined forces with Zoos Victoria for a new campaign with a big mission to protect some of our most threatened frog species by recycling your drink containers.
About us
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Primary students at Red Rock Christian College in Sunbury have really embraced their school’s new CDS Vic collections, and they’re motivated by community care, environmental action, and a healthy dose of competition.
“We wanted to get the kids creating, engaged with the world and off their phones,” says head of primary Victoria Smith. “We wanted to show them that they can make a difference in the world.”
Red Rock took part in our incursion program, delivered by CERES, in October last year. Within weeks, they’d collected hundreds of containers, and they’re just getting started. The primary school has created a green team, with two students in each class who lead collections, eligibility checks, and weekly counts. At the end of last year, the class that had returned the most containers won a pizza lunch.
Victoria said the incursion was fantastic: “I’ve been in education for more than 20 years, and it was great. So engaging and practical.”
And the impact on the school community has gone beyond fundraising. By participating in the school's container recycling program, students are taking real action to protect their environment.
“They have access to information that we never did,” Victoria says. “My parents were protective of us even watching the news. Now the primary kids see everything. If we can give them a voice and show them that their actions matter and can make a difference, that’s positive.”
The primary school doesn’t have a canteen, so the containers collected are either brought from home or collected from students at Red Rock’s secondary school. Collecting in classrooms has been straightforward, Victoria says.
“We got some bins and big bags from Bunnings and the maintenance guys take them to the depot. We keep a running total.”
As of the end of the 2025 school year, the school had raised more than $300, with more to come as this term gets going. So far, funds are being set aside for play equipment for the school, but in the future, there are plans to support charities aligned with the school’s values.
“That’s really important to us,” Victoria said. “Advocacy and activism.”
