Donation Stations at BNE to Help Children's Dreams Soar

In an effort to reduce waste, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is partnering with Containers for Change (COEX) to launch a 12-month trial at Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal.

As part of the trial, two Donation Stations have been installed in the terminal, allowing passengers to return containers eligible under Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme (CRS) while also raising funds for local charity, The Pyjama Foundation.

The Donation Stations are expected to divert more than 120,000 eligible containers from landfill throughout the duration of the trial.

Raechel Paris, BAC Executive General Manager Governance said the trial is an incredible way for passengers and visitors at BNE to help the environment while also supporting a vital community organisation.

"As an airport city home to more than 425 businesses, 24,000 employees, and a place that welcomes millions of passengers every year, we recognise the role we play in delivering positive outcomes for our community through our environmental and social programs.

"Together with Container Exchange, we’re looking forward to implementing this trial to increase recycling and divert waste onsite at Brisbane Airport.

"More than that, the proceeds generated from the recycling scheme go directly to supporting children in foster care with the opportunity to change the direction of their lives through education and learning base games," Ms Paris said.

Brownyn Sheehan, CEO The Pyjama Foundation said the trial would deliver meaningful change to children in out-of-home care.

"The Pyjama Foundation is so proud to form this unique partnership with the Brisbane Airport Corporation, which will not only benefit the lives of children in care but also positively impact our environment.

"Our Foundation supports more than 900 children in the Greater Brisbane Region, so money raised through this initiative will directly be supporting children in our local community.

"By supporting our Program and helping to match many more volunteer mentors with children in care, the community is having an immediate impact on helping to shape a brighter life path for these kids," Ms Sheehan said. 

Ken Noye, CEO of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit organisation that runs the Containers for Change scheme, said the timing of the initiative couldn’t be better.

"With borders re-opening and more passengers travelling for work and pleasure we are delighted that these donation stations are in place to accept their eligible drink containers.

"We are proud to partner with Brisbane Airport Corporation to launch this initiative to help recover even more containers from landfill and enable them to be recycled, protecting the beautiful Queensland environment which is loved by residents and tourists alike.

"The fact that BAC have opted to pass their container refunds on to such a worthwhile charity as the Pyjama Foundation extends the positive impact this initiative will have and I encourage everyone using the terminals to seek these donation stations out to help do good," Mr Noye said.

"We are excited to see this program also extend to our retail partners, as it is our goal to ultimately see the Containers for Change program implemented across both terminals and all of our food and beverage retailers," Mr Paris said.

The dedicated bins for the Containers for Change eligible containers are located at the central food court opposite Sushi Sushi, and outside Graze on the northern Satellite. The bins are colour-coded and clearly signed to ensure the right items are put in each bin.

BAC understands that to achieve our vision to ‘Connect the World. Create the Future’, we need to implement best practice environmental management and minimise natural resource consumption. 

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More about Container Exchange

Container Exchange (QLD) Limited (COEX) is the not-for-profit organisation created to establish and run Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme (CRS).

Its focus is on reducing beverage container litter, increasing recycling efforts and helping the community to benefit through charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations participating in the CRS.

COEX commenced on 1 November 2018, with more than 230 container refund points in operation across the state.