Containers for Change trucks go green with renewable diesel in Queensland
- Container Exchange
- Dec 19, 2025
- 2 min read
Container Exchange, the not-for-profit organization that runs Queensland’s container-refund scheme, announced Dec. 12 that it is partnering with waste-management and resource-recovery company Cleanaway to reduce carbon emissions when transporting containers for recycling.
The 12-month pilot with Cleanaway will see part of the fleet transporting containers across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast running on 100 percent hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100), also known as renewable diesel, supplied by Viva Energy Australia.
HVO100 is a fossil-fuel alternative made from renewable resources such as used cooking oil that reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 91 percent.
Container Exchange CEO Natalie Roach said the move to low-carbon fuel reflected the organization’s commitment to maximizing the environmental, social and economic impacts of Queensland’s container-refund scheme.
“More than 1.5 billion containers are returned in South East Queensland through Containers for Change every year,” Roach said. “That’s over half of the state’s total. Through our pilot with Cleanaway, where renewable diesel is used, containers will travel with a smaller carbon footprint, ensuring the recycling process is as clean as the outcomes it delivers.”
Stuart Baird, Cleanaway’s general manager of container-deposit schemes, added, “We are proud to be able to bring vehicles powered by HVO100 renewable diesel to the Containers for Change scheme to reduce the emissions associated with the collection and transportation of eligible containers. We are looking forward to working closely with Container Exchange to continue to deliver more sustainable outcomes for Queensland.”
Containers for Change is Queensland’s largest community-facing recycling system.
More than 11 billion containers have been returned to refund points since November 2018, putting AUD$1.1 billion (USD$727.4 million) in 10-cent refunds back into pockets of Queenslanders.
