Residents return over 1 million cans in just four days using new recycling scheme

An Australian island state is celebrating the massive response to its new recycling program.

Tasmania, an island off the southeastern coast of Australia's mainland, launched Recycling Rewards at the start of May, offering a 10-cent refund for every eligible drink container that gets recycled at designated stations.

In just four days, Pulse Tasmania reported, more than 1 million containers had been recycled — or nearly two containers for everyone who lives on the island.

"Recycle Rewards rewards Tasmanians for doing the right thing, ensuring that litter is recycled and doesn't go into landfill, or the environment where it can hurt our wildlife," Environment Minister Madeleine Ogilvie told Pulse Tasmania.

Nearly half of the litter in Tasmania, by volume, is from drink containers. Government officials said they expect the new program to double the recycling rates of eligible containers and to reduce by half the amount that is littered.

The vast majority of drink containers can be recycled through the program, including aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Among those that aren't accepted are milk containers and glass wine bottles, though they remain recyclable normally. Glass and aluminum, especially, are important to recycle since they can be recycled infinitely, but even though plastic is not recycled as well, it's still important to keep it from becoming litter and give it a chance to be reused.

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The recyclable containers can be returned to any of 40 "reverse vending machines" throughout Tasmania, with at least nine more expected to pop up this year.

Such plans have proved effective in the United States. Michigan and Oregon each offer a 10-cent deposit on recycled drink containers, and their recycling rate on such materials is over 85%, as opposed to a nationwide average of 69%.

If such a program were to be enacted across the U.S., Reloop said an additional 7.4 million tons of high-quality goods would be reused each year, resulting in a reduction of 12 million tons of carbon pollution annually.

Recycling through these programs can also be a profitable side hustle for those with an entrepreneurial — and environmental — mindset. In New South Wales, Australia, a man actually recycled enough cans to pay for the down payment on his house.