Container Deposit Scheme Victoria (CDS Vic): Business Guide

Sources checked 18 September 2026, rechecked 21 September 2026. Scope: Victoria, with Australian schemes identified where relevant.

CDS Vic pays 10 cents for each eligible drink container returned. Check eligibility before building a collection system around the refund. Source: CDS Vic — Eligible containers.

What applies

CDS Vic describes most aluminium, glass, plastic and liquid paperboard drink containers between 150 mL and 3 litres as eligible, with exceptions. Use its checker for a specific product. A size or material match alone does not establish eligibility. Source: CDS Vic — Eligible containers.

For a business the scheme is not a compliance obligation so much as a decision: whether the containers your site generates are worth separating from the recycling bin, and who ends up with the refund if someone else collects them. Both questions turn on what is actually eligible.

Which containers are eligible

Within the 150 mL to 3 litre range, CDS Vic lists the following categories. “Most” is the scheme’s own wording — it is not a guarantee for a particular product:

Drink category	Eligible sizes
Carbonated water, flavoured water, soft drink and energy drink bottles and cans	200 – 750 mL
Fruit and vegetable juice bottles, cans and cartons	150 mL – 1 litre
Beer and cider bottles, cans and cartons	150 mL – 1 litre
Flavoured milk bottles and cartons, including cans of coffee	150 mL – 750 mL
Non-carbonated water, soft drinks and sports drink bottles and cans	150 mL – 3 litres

Check the actual products used on site against the CDS Vic eligibility checker and the container label before assuming a case of stock is worth separating. Source: CDS Vic — Eligible containers.

Which containers are excluded

CDS Vic lists these as not eligible for the refund:

Plain milk, in all sizes
Wine and spirits
Cordial or syrup concentrates
Large sachets, including wine pouches over 250 mL
Juice and flavoured milk containers of 1 litre or more
Health tonics and probiotics
Cartons under 150 mL

Excluded does not mean unrecyclable. Those containers go to your ordinary recycling arrangement under whatever your collector accepts; they simply do not carry the 10-cent refund. For a venue whose glass is mostly wine and spirits, that distinction decides whether a separate CDS collection is worth running at all.

Preparing containers for return

Two points from the scheme change how a business stores containers between services:

Lids can be left on. CDS Vic states that lids “can be left on” and that they “will become part of the circular economy too”.
Do not crush them. CDS Vic recommends that “you don’t crush containers, as most refund points can’t accept them if containers have been crushed”.

That rules out compacting the CDS stream and rules out a storage arrangement where containers get trodden down to make room. Plan for the volume uncrushed containers actually occupy, or the refund is lost at the refund point. Source: CDS Vic — Eligible containers.

Setting up collection in a business

A workable arrangement usually comes down to four decisions:

What is actually eligible on your site. Run the products you buy through the checker before designing anything around them.
Where the labelled collection point goes. It has to be where the containers are emptied, uncrushed, with enough space for the volume between returns.
How they reach a refund point. Ask the refund point about preparation requirements and bulk return arrangements before you commit to a storage plan.
Who receives the refund. If a contractor collects the containers, agree in writing who the refund goes to, and compare any collection or handling charge separately so you can see the net position.

Practical checks for your business

These suggested planning steps help organise site information; they are not an exhaustive legal compliance checklist.

Check the actual beverage products used on site using CDS Vic information and the container label.
Choose a labelled collection location. Ask the refund point about preparation and bulk returns.
Agree who receives refunds if a contractor collects the containers. Compare any collection or handling charge separately.

Confirm the requirement for your site

For a disputed requirement or enforcement issue, ask the relevant authority or qualified adviser to identify the current provision and how it applies. Do not rely on an old penalty amount or general website summary. If you supply beverages rather than only consume them, supplier-side obligations are a separate question — see the related guidance below.

Keep a usable decision record

Keep assessments, acceptance conditions, responsible contacts and supporting records together. Note what needs confirmation before changing the service or starting work.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the refund under CDS Vic?

CDS Vic pays 10 cents for each eligible drink container returned to a refund point. The refund is per container and does not vary with the size or the material, provided the container is eligible.

Which drink containers are eligible?

CDS Vic describes most aluminium, glass, plastic and liquid paperboard (carton) drink containers between 150 mL and 3 litres as eligible, with exceptions. Within that, it lists most carbonated water, flavoured water, soft drink and energy drink bottles and cans between 200 and 750 mL; most fruit and vegetable juice bottles, cans and cartons between 150 mL and 1 litre; most beer and cider bottles, cans and cartons between 150 mL and 1 litre; most flavoured milk bottles and cartons between 150 mL and 750 mL, including cans of coffee; and most non-carbonated water, soft drinks and sports drink bottles and cans between 150 mL and 3 litres. Use the CDS Vic eligibility checker for a specific product, because a size or material match alone does not establish eligibility.

Which containers are not eligible?

CDS Vic excludes plain milk containers in all sizes, wine and spirits, cordial or syrup concentrates, large sachets such as wine pouches over 250 mL, juice and flavoured milk containers of 1 litre or more, health tonics and probiotics, and cartons under 150 mL. Those containers can still be recyclable through your ordinary recycling service — they simply do not earn the refund.

Does every bottle qualify?

No. Check the specific product rather than assuming every bottle, can or carton qualifies. The scheme publishes an eligibility checker, and the container label is the other place to look.

Should we crush containers or remove the lids before returning them?

CDS Vic states that lids can be left on and that they will become part of the circular economy too, and recommends that you do not crush containers, because most refund points cannot accept them if containers have been crushed. That matters for a business collection system: a bin that gets compacted or trodden down between services can make the contents unreturnable.

Who gets the refund if a contractor collects our containers?

Whoever you agree receives it, which is why it needs to be settled in writing before the service starts. Agree who receives refunds if a contractor collects the containers, and compare any collection or handling charge separately from the refund value so you can see what the arrangement is actually worth. Ask the refund point about preparation requirements and bulk return arrangements before designing the collection around it.

Discuss your collection requirements

Contact Bundle Waste with the waste type, site and collection requirements. Keep specialist legal, environmental or safety assessment separate from the collection request.

Sources

Primary guidance checked 18 September 2026, rechecked 21 September 2026. Review due 21 October 2026, or sooner if requirements change.

CDS Vic — Eligible containers. What can I return?; eligible drink categories and sizes; what is not eligible; lids and crushing; eligibility checker.

CDS Vic: eligible containers and business collections