Queensland spends $500,000 on Popper Patrol recycling ad campaign

More than $500,000 was spent on an glossy advertising campaign urging Queensland schoolkids to return poppers for recycling, despite the state being unable to recycle them.

Queensland's Containers for Change recycling scheme paid more than $500,000 for an advertising campaign to encourage school kids to return popper containers for recycling, despite having no capacity to recycle the waste in the state. The poppers were then shipped to India.

More than $500,000 was spent on a glossy advertising campaign urging Queensland schoolkids to return poppers for recycling, despite the state being unable to recycle the drink containers and instead shipping them to India.

The Australian revealed on Monday that the Queensland government’s signature recycling program, Containers for Change, has secretly shipped to India up to 126 million popper containers that it paid people $12.69m to return to recycling centres.

There is no facility in Queensland capable of recycling the liquid paperboard that poppers are made from, so the waste is sold to private Brisbane-based company Genuine Recycling Group, which then exports to India.

The government says the waste is then pulped and used for “construction and other applications”.

Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon launched a “Popper Patrol” advertising campaign in April last year, urging schoolchildren to return 100 million poppers for recycling to recoup $10m in cash.

No mention was made that the containers would be shipped to India.

Queensland's Containers for Change recycling scheme has no capacity to recycle poppers – made from liquid paperboard – despite paying consumers nearly $13m to return 130 million of the containers since late 2018

The campaign featured cartoon characters called Harry Popper, Dolly Carton, Bruce Juice and Annie Smith.

When initially contacted, COEX, the private not-for-profit company contracted by the government to run Containers for Change, refused to say how much it paid for the advertising campaign.

“Details of our operational expenditure are not required to be publicly disclosed,” a COEX spokeswoman said.

After The Australian asked Ms Scanlon why the state’s popper strategy was shrouded in secrecy, COEX chief executive Natalie Roach confirmed the Popper Patrol campaign cost just over half a million dollars.

Ms Roach said the ongoing campaign had already been a success, and had resulted in nearly two million extra poppers being returned year-on-year since its launch.

Asked whether consumers would have expected the poppers to be recycled in Australia, Ms Roach said: “The No.1 requirement for people that participate in the scheme is that the items are recycled.

Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon in parliament. Picture: Liam Kidston

“The challenge with some of the materials, liquid paperboard is a prime example of that, the capacity of the recycling industry to do that just doesn’t exist here in terms of volume … we all find ourselves with this challenge of having to export items.”

GRG was subject to a random audit by an independent firm engaged by COEX last year, which found the popper containers were being exported and there was “no indications the scheme material was not being recycled”.

Ms Roach said COEX was required by law to ensure containers were recycled, and that she was confident the poppers sent to India were being properly repurposed.

The Australian has requested the GRG audit be released, and COEX is seeking permission from the company and the auditor.

GRG director Jack Kwong has previously ­said “we do not wish to make comment on our business dealings with the Queensland government or COEX”.

Opposition environment spokesman Sam O’Connor said that if Ms Scanlon was confident the poppers were being recycled “she should release the audit to prove it”.

“The minister is happy to front the cameras to get school kids to return poppers but she hasn’t done her homework to ensure they get recycled in Queensland,” Mr O’Connor said.

From next year, a federal ban will prevent the export of liquid paperboard waste from Australia.