Hervey Bay residents will have greater access to the Queensland Container Refund Scheme with operator, U Can Recycle, opening a new depot in Urangan this week announced Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch.
"We've seen an overwhelming demand for more sites in the area and across Queensland, with 400 million containers already returned in the state," Minister Enoch said.
"The Wide Bay region has the third highest return rate in Queensland and the new depot will accommodate this strong demand and create local jobs.
"Over 37.3 million containers have been returned in the Wide Bay region since the scheme was launched on 1 November 2018. That's $3.73 million going back into the Wide Bay community.
"I'm delighted to see the continued growth of container refund points across Queensland. It means that more containers will be recycled rather than sent to landfill."
Minister Enoch visited the site ahead of its opening on Monday 29 April.
Jason Irwin, General Manager for U Can Recycle said they were thrilled to expand their services in Hervey Bay, employing 12 people to support the depot.
"The team we've employed at the new site are very keen to get started and were very pleased to be given this opportunity.
"We have 12 new local staff members on board all ready to go, including three long-term unemployed people," Mr Irwin said.
"Our depot is on a huge two-and-a-half-acre block which means we can receive higher volumes, improve traffic flow and reduce wait times for our customers.
"We've got a nice set up, including a drive-thru process, a cash refund option and an airconditioned waiting room for customers – I'm planning to add a café in after we're up and running."
U Can Recycle now operate 15 container refund points in the network.
The Urangan depot is one of five sites set to open just this week, including Cooroy, Atherton, Duaringa and Beerwah, with more openings scheduled in May.
Container Exchange (COEX) Chief Executive Officer, Ken Noye, said COEX is working hard to ensure every Queenslander has a chance to participate in the Scheme.
"New sites continue to be added to the network to accommodate for the unprecedented volume the Scheme has seen in the first five months," Mr Noye said.
"We're travelling along nicely towards meeting our goal of having 307 container refund points open by the end of 2019; after this week, there will be 274 sites across Queensland."
The new U Can Recycle depot can be found at 1565 Booral Road, Urangan.
