Victorians are in with the chance to win one million – a million cents that is – as the prize of a recycling competition from Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic).
The Win A Million! Cents competition offers five lucky recyclers a $10,000 cash prize each for returning their empty drink containers through the scheme.
CDS Vic to date has had 1.7 billion drink containers through the scheme, equating to $170 million back to Victorians. This includes $1.7 million donated to local charities, schools and community groups.
Running from 5 May to 15 June 2025, the competition automatically rewards customers with one entry for every 50 eligible containers they return in a single transaction – regardless of whether they keep the refund amount or donate it to one of the registered donation partners.
Since Victoria’s CDS launched in November 2023, participation has been overwhelming, said Jim Round, CEO of scheme coordinator VicReturn.
“I’m so proud of how Victorians have embraced the scheme and the positive impact it is making on sustainability and community fundraising,” he said.
"The Win A Million! Cents competition is a fun way to thank Victorians for their support and to encourage even more participation.”
One of the five winners will score a bonus $10,000 to donate to a registered CDS Vic charity, school, or community group of their choice.
The competition was launched today at Melbourne’s North & West Melbourne Neighbourhood Centre (NWMNC) in Errol Street, North Melbourne. The centre is not only a scheme donation partner, but also an over-the-counter refund point, where recyclers can return eligible drink containers for a refund.
To date, NWMNC has processed more than 100,000 containers, returning over $10,000 to the local community and raising more than $7500 for the Neighbourhood Centre through its involvement in the scheme.
“This income has allowed NWMNC to run programs for the local community,” said Ariel Valent, NWMNC’s director.
“Our popular programs include Homework Clubs, bus trips for seniors, publishing a volunteer-run community newspaper and presenting North Melbourne’s iconic billycart race and street festival, the Queensberry Cup, each October.”
Start collecting your eligible drink containers for your chance to win one million cents. The competition is open to Victorian residents only.
Entry details, Terms and Conditions, and the entry form is available here.
winamillioncents.com.au
