When Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme launched in November 2023, most people saw it as a way to recycle cans and bottles for spare change.

However, for Jo Staunton, from Melbourne’s north-eastern suburb of Clifton Hill, the change collected through the scheme was bound for something bigger.

Through her long-running Lovina Project in Bali, Staunton is “supporting disadvantaged young girls and women to finish off their education, so they have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their dreams”.

For more than two decades, Staunton has dedicated herself to the Lovina Project, an initiative focused on helping young women complete their education in the coastal town of Lovina on Bali’s northern shoreline.

What began in 2003 through fundraising and crowdfunding efforts has seen the construction of a villa in the town. Now, using profits generated through the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), Staunton is working towards building an after-school hub to further support locals.

“I’m trying to raise $60,000 to do that, and I’ve just hit $39,000 since the scheme started,” she said.

A 10-cent refund is given per container, meaning 390,000 cans and bottles have been diverted from landfill in support of the project so far.

Those containers have come from far beyond Staunton’s own recycling bin.

“I’ve got some pubs, breweries, and a whole community in Abbotsford and Clifton Hill who just leave their cans out for me,” she said. “I’ve got people down in Kilcunda, in Reservoir, in North Melbourne … I just give out my bank details and people deposit the money into the account.”

Staunton’s efforts are part of a much larger shift in the way Victorians think about recycling. According to a 2024 Victorian Government report, more than one billion containers were returned through the CDS in its first year, putting more than $100 million back into the pockets of residents, charities and community groups.

For Staunton, the scheme brings in about $350 a week which is enough to chip away at her fundraising target, 10 cents at a time.

It’s not only Staunton making a difference. In Melbourne’s east, Whitehorse resident Kelly McJelly began collecting containers last year to raise money for the RSPCA, where she volunteers.

“I started collecting in late October, and we do it every week. So far, we’ve raised $1400, which is about 14,000 cans and bottles,” McJelly said.

McJelly said collecting containers made between $20 and $30 a week, and “although it doesn’t seem like much, it adds up”.

Mayor of the City of Whitehorse, Cr Kirsten Langford, said the environmental impact of the scheme had been just as significant as the financial one.

“The eligible drink container litter has reduced by more than 70 per cent since the introduction of CDS in Victoria,” she said. “It supports a more circular economy where the material can be used again and again.”

Most returned containers are made from plastic or aluminium. These materials are processed back into raw resources and reused to create new bottles and cans.

Whitehorse Council has also introduced wire baskets attached to public bins through a partnership with Vic Return, allowing people to leave eligible containers behind for others to collect. Ten baskets are already installed across Whitehorse, with another 40 expected by the end of June.

“I think the public bin baskets really help the CDS participation,” Cr Langford says. “We see people waiting near them for someone to place their containers inside.”

Staunton says she would gladly use similar baskets in Melbourne’s inner north if they were introduced there, but no action has been taken yet.

As Victoria’s container scheme continues to grow, Staunton hopes more people will see the impact small refunds can have beyond their own households.

“If people have the opportunity, then people want to help but they have to be given the opportunity,” says Staunton.

What many consider spare change has become a steady source of support for community groups, charities and projects, including Staunton’s. These containers are helping create opportunities for women and children hundreds of kilometres away in Bali.

“I realised you can’t save the world, but you can do your little bit within your sphere of influence to make a difference,” said Staunton.