Tasmanians are being celebrated this World Environment Day for reducing container litter by 50%. The achievement comes just one year after the introduction of the state’s container refund scheme Recycle Rewards.
Halving container litter was a key goal of the scheme. According to Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania’s annual litter survey, drink containers counted in the 2025–26 survey are down 50% since 2024–25. Specifically, the litter of soft drink cans is down 61%, beer cans 58% and plastic bottles 46%. Alcohol and soft drink containers remain the largest categories of littered drink containers.
TasRecycle CEO Ken Roughley said Recycle Rewards is proving that small actions can collectively make a big difference.
“I am proud to announce that Recycle Rewards has achieved its litter reduction target in just twelve months. Every container returned is one less item littering our beaches, parks, waterways and streets, and one more resource being recycled into new products as part of the circular economy.”
Pam Allan, Chair of the Waste and Resource Recovery Board Tasmania, said the results are a confirmation of Tasmanians’ commitment to reduce litter and increase recycling.
“This achievement is really inspiring. Recycle Rewards is helping protect our environment from litter and building our circular economy at the same time.”
Tasmanians have so far diverted more than 130 million eligible drink containers from landfill and litter, transforming everyday items like cans, bottles and cartons into valuable recycled materials. This builds our circular economy while reducing waste and conserving energy and resources.
Use our impact calculator to see the environmental difference you’re making every time you return eligible drink containers.