Bin chickens im-peck-able recycling success

Published on 24 July 2026

They’re at 835,000 containers and counting!

The Rotary Club of Mount Martha’s ‘bin chickens’ head out daily collecting containers and the results are impressive.

Thanks to the dedicated Rotarians, eligible containers including aluminium cans and plastic bottles have been recycled via the Container Deposit Scheme – enabling the volunteers to put just under $100,000 back into the community.

Rob Davies, the driving force behind the club’s Containers 4 Community project, said it was a matter of “thinking opportunity and not waste”.

“Since the State Government Container Deposit Scheme was launched in November 2023, we’ve collected eligible containers – enabling us to partner with 35 local organisations and support a range of important initiatives and programs.”

The Rotarians collect the containers from both their own bins at select locations and baskets installed by the Shire next to bins across the Peninsula.

The Shire supports the community to collect CDS eligible containers and cash them in at any of the return points around the Peninsula.

We encourage businesses, sports clubs, community groups and individuals to engage in the scheme and return the high value material for recycling, with the benefits of some extra funds and keeping our Peninsula clean of littler. It’s a win-win!

mountmartharotary.org.au

Community-led solution

We’ve installed Container Deposit Scheme exchange baskets next to bins at 90 locations across the Peninsula.

Leave eligible, empty drink containers in the basket — or collect ones already there and return them to a CDS refund point to receive a 10-cent refund.

This provides a practical, community-led solution to recover containers and cut down on litter.

mornpen.vic.gov.au/cds-baskets