Containers leaving Liquor Barons Morley are coming back to live another life with a simple yet effective discount scheme that franchise owner James McKay implemented through Containers for Change.

Since December 2020, the bottle shop has offered a $2 discount on every carton or drink purchase for customers who return 24 containers to the store. This has not only attracted new customers but has also seen a loyal following from local customers due to the convenience of the service. James also said it makes people think before they throw away containers. 

“It’s really handy because in the past, people have been throwing them away or if they’re time strapped, they might not be able to go to a refund point, so it’s two birds with one stone. They can come down with their empty carton of booze and switch it out for a new one,” he said. 

The store partnered with its local refund point U Can Recycle in Dianella, which provided 12 wheelie bins and a collection service. Customers can drop off their containers in the drive through section of the store, and staff take these to the 240-litre wheelie bins out the back where they are sorted and counted. When a bin becomes full, staff tally up the containers and write the total number on the bin before contacting U Can Recycle (approximately every 6 weeks), who collect and replace the bins. 

U Can Recycle will sort the glass bottles and cans ready for Containers for Change approved recyclers, who will turn them into new bottles and cans that will return to bottle shops like Liquor Barons Morley, for the cycle to begin again. 

While James doesn’t use social media or any channel other than a chalk board out the front of the store to promote the offer, he said he gets about 50 customers each week returning an empty carton. 

“It keeps the locals local. It gives them another reason to shop with us,” he said. 

While James said the scheme has been relatively easy to run, he felt it might be more challenging for a smaller store, without the space to store all the containers. 

At the end of June 2022, Liquor Barons Morley had returned 56,561 containers to the refund point since launching the scheme. That equates to 2,356 cartons of beer (or equivalent).