Who operates CDS Vic

Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic) provides shared benefits to the community, environment, and economy by delivering:

• more and better recycling
• less waste – old containers become new ones
• less litter – cut by up to half
• hundreds of new jobs and economic opportunities across Victoria
• a cleaner, greener state.

Who operates CDS Vic?

CDS Vic operates on a shared responsibilities model, which separates administration and regulation aspects from operational tasks. The Scheme Coordinator, VicReturn, is responsible for managing the financial and administrative aspects and Return-it, TOMRA Cleanaway, and Visy are the Zone Operators responsible for establishing and maintaining a network of refund points. Recycling Victoria oversees and regulates the scheme.

Scheme Coordinator

VicReturn is the Scheme Coordinator, and is responsible for:

• managing the financial and administrative aspects of CDS Vic
• conducting audits of CDS Vic to prevent fraud
• paying refund amounts and collection network costs to the Zone Operators
• reporting against performance targets set by the government.

Zone Operators

Return-it, TOMRA Cleanaway and Visy have been appointed as Zone Operators and are responsible for:

• establishing and maintaining a network of refund points in their appointed zones
• distributing refund amounts to consumers
• distributing payments to refund point operators
• reporting on CDS participation and redemption rates.

The map below outlines which part of Victoria each Zone Operator is responsible for establishing and maintaining refund points.