Millions of Aussies given chance to win $10,000 in simple recycling lottery
It will only take 50 drink containers and proof of transaction for Victorians to be entered into the 'Win a millions cents' competition, an incentive introduced by authorities to boost recycling efforts. From Monday, May 5, anyone who heads to a deposit site and returns 50 containers will be eligible to go in a draw to win one of the five $10,000 cash prizes, with one lucky winner even getting the chance to donate a further $10,000 to a charity of their choice.
Return at least 50 eligible containers in a single transaction.
Keep the proof of transaction.
Head to the website and complete the online entry form.
"All you need to do is go collect your containers and take them back to your local refund point. And then take a photo of your receipt or a screenshot if you use the app," Vic Return CEO Jim Round told 7News.
Every group of 50 containers equates to one entry into the prize draw, meaning Aussies can increase their chance of winning by recycling as many containers as possible in one transaction.
The competition ends June 15.
Victoria's Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the residents will be able to turn trash into cash and win "a million cents".
"Not only does it help the environment, it also helps the supply chain of raw materials," he said about the state's unique recycling campaign.
The chance to win $10,000 is one way that state governments are encouraging Aussies to do the right thing when it comes to their recycling. Container deposit schemes have been introduced across the country in recent years, allowing Aussies to collect 10 cents for every eligible plastic container they return. While the schemes have encouraged some to rummage through bins in search of eligible items, there are some advocates who have questioned whether the amount for a single plastic container is still enough of an incentive to enact real change in recycling behaviour.
Heidi Taylor is the CEO of Tangaroa Blue, which has spent more than 20 years cataloguing plastic pollution that's washed up on Australian shores, and believes governments should consider increasing the financial return per bottle.
"We have seen a reduction in beverage containers [in the environment] due to these schemes,' she told Yahoo News recently. "You see it reduce a lot at the beginning of a campaign or scheme like this and then it dwindles a little bit.
"There's a lot of conversations going on right now about whether 10 cents is enough, and the answer to that is probably no. If you want people to see it as an incentive, you need to make it an incentive and 10 cents is not really that much in this day and age."
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