RSPCA Tasmania is asking Tasmanians to turn their containers into care by donating their 10 cent refunds to support life changing services for pets and their owners. Donating to the animal welfare charity is made even easier this week as it becomes the featured donation partner on more than 40 Recycle Rewards reverse vending machines across the state.
RSPCA Tasmania CEO Andrea Dawkins said the partnership came at the perfect time because the organisation is working harder than ever to protect, care for and rehome animals.
“Last year alone we rescued, rehabilitated and found forever loving homes for more than 800 animals – from cats and dogs to horses, goats, rabbits and ducks,” Ms Dawkins said. “In one of the largest surrenders in our organisation’s almost 150-year history, we rescued, rehabilitated, and rehomed 239 Labradoodles. The support of the Tasmanian community has always been critical to our impact, and the container refund scheme provides a new way people can get behind our work.”
All donations will help fund programs that keep pets and people together, such as the community microloan program, which provides emergency support to Tasmanians who otherwise could not afford urgent vet care or desexing for their pets.
The charity’s Safe Beds initiative provides care for animals whose owners are in crisis. “While emergency accommodation for people is available, it often doesn’t allow pets,” Ms Dawkins explains. RSPCA helps fill this gap and provides much needed reassurance to people in crisis.
Scheme Coordinator TasRecycle CEO Ken Roughley said that donating your container refunds can make a difference when multiplied across months and across the state. “Recycle Rewards is a new way to fundraise and contribute to the causes that matter to us.”
Network Operator TOMRA Cleanaway General Manager Tasmania Corey Wingard said donation partners were central to the scheme’s success. “More than 85% of Tasmanians can find a refund point within 10km of them – helping each of us keep litter out of landfill and our environment, and making it easy to donate to important causes.”
More than 30 million eligible containers have been returned since Recycle Rewards began on 1 May. Aluminium continues to be the top material returned, accounting for 62% of returns. PET plastic made up about 21%, glass 15% and liquid paperboard carton and other materials about 2%.
Visit recyclerewards.com.au for more information about Recycle Rewards, including container eligibility, refund point locations, signing up as a Donation Partner and how to make the most of your fundraising effort.