Our Privacy Policy - Container Exchange (QLD) Limited (COEX)

In this Privacy Policy, 'us' 'we' or 'our' means Container Exchange (QLD) Limited (ACN 622 570 209), the operator of the Queensland beverage container refund scheme, Containers for Change. We are committed to respecting your privacy. 

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). This legislation regulates how we manage and protect personal information. 

This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information of our customers and members of the public and describes how you can request to access or correct the personal information we hold about you and how you can raise privacy related concerns with us. 

We have a separate Privacy Policy that describes how we handle the personal information of our Business Partners (including container refund point operators and beverage manufacturers), partner organisations (including sponsorship and fundraising partners), suppliers and their personnel, as well as that of our job applicants.  You can find that separate Privacy Policy here.

Please keep in mind that if you are a Business Partner, partner organisation or supplier, you may interact with us in multiple capacities and this Privacy Policy may still apply to you in another capacity, such as a Containers for Change Customer or an Account Holder.

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time by publishing changes to it on our website. We encourage you to check our website periodically to ensure that you are aware of our current Privacy Policy.

Personal information is information or an opinion about an individual who is reasonably identifiable. For example, this may include your name, age, gender, postcode and contact details. It may also include financial information, including your bank or credit card details. Sensitive information is a type of personal information given additional protection under the Privacy Act and includes information about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs and criminal record, as well as health, genetic and biometric information. 

When do you deal with us?

We administer and govern Queensland's beverage container refund scheme, Containers for Change.  Container refund points are operated by independent operators, who are part of the Containers for Change scheme.

We sometimes need to collect your personal information from our container refund point operators in order to perform our functions and activities.  Where this occurs, this Privacy Policy applies.

Otherwise, dealings between you and container refund point operators are not governed by us or this Privacy Policy.  If the operator has its own Privacy Policy, please refer to it. 

What personal information do we collect?

The types of personal information we collect will depend on how and why you engage with us, but may included the following types of personal information:

• If you are engaging with us or scheme participants in the context of the Queensland beverage container refund scheme (Containers for Change Customer), the information about you that we may collect will depend on the circumstances. Sometimes, you can interact with the Containers for Change scheme and we won't be able to identify you. Usually, we will be able to identify you as a Containers for Change Customer where you are required by law to provide your identity documents, are required to submit a refund declaration, if information you provide the container refund point operator is submitted to us, or otherwise if you choose to provide us with your information. We may collect:
  • Personal and contact details: for example, you name, mailing or street address, email address, telephone number, age and date of birth;
  • Identity information and government related identifiers: for example, details of your passport and driver's license, and your signature and photograph;
  • Container refund documentation: for example, a copy of documents you provide to a container refund point operator or via the digital refund declaration process as required by law (for example, electronic refund declaration with your signature);
  • Transaction details: for example, number of containers, material type, refund amounts and nominated payment method, recipient member number (for Account Holders), location of container refund point and time of transaction;
  • Products and service-related information: for example, details of the products and services we have provided to you or that you have enquired about and information regarding how you use our services (such as our mobile application);
  • Information about organisations you are involved in or support: for example, where you donate your refund to charity, or where we sponsor an organisation that you are affiliated with;
• If you sign up for an account on our Containers for Change website or app (Account Holder), then in addition to the information we may collect about you as a Containers for Change Customer, we may also collect:
  • Financial information: for example, if you apply to create an account with us, we will collect your bank account details and/or PayPal ID we need to set up your account and process payments to you;
  • If you establish or join a team account: information about the team you have created or joined, including where that team indicates your family or work relationships;
• If you are a website visitor or app user signed into your Account, the following information we collect may be your personal information:
  • Digital Information: for example, your device ID, device type, geo-location information, computer and connection information, statistics on page views, traffic to and from our websites, IP address and standard web log information;
• If you are participating in a survey, competition or promotional activity run by us, we may collect:
  • Personal and contact details: for example, you name, mailing or street address, email address, telephone number, age and date of birth;
  • Other information about you, depending on the particular survey, competition or promotional activity: for example (where you provide it), age range, household income range, what type of dwelling they live in, gender, dependents, working status, indigenous status;
• If you sign up to receive the Containers for Change newsletter, we will collect your name, email address and communications preferences;
• If you make an enquiry with us, for example through our website, chatbot, or by calling us, we will collect any personal information that you choose to share with us. We may ask for your name and contact details if we need to follow up about anything you've enquired about.

Generally, we will not collect your sensitive information unless you have provided your consent, and the information is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities, or if we are legally required or permitted to collect that information without your consent.

How do we collect personal information?

We will usually collect personal information about you directly from you. For example, when you:

• interact with us as a Containers for Change Customer, including by providing a refund declaration or providing your identity documents where required by law;
• sign up to be an Account Holder;
• participate in surveys, competitions and promotional activities we run; and
• make an enquiry with us, for example through our website, chatbot, or by calling us.

In some cases, we may also collect personal information about you:

• where you are a Containers for Change Customer, from a container refund point operator that you have entered a collection agreement with;
• where you are an Account Holder:
  • from the designated 'team captain' of your group, when the team captain shares your information with us;
  • from the individual or organisation that has facilitated your use of our services, website or app, such as your employer;
• in limited circumstances, from our organisations we partner with, such as sponsorship partners who run competitions with us;
• where you use our website website or app, from your browser or device (or technologies associated with your browser or device, such as cookies) - but the information we collect may only identify you when you are signed into your Account; and
• from publicly available sources, such as social media platforms, in order to undertake our integrity and investigation functions and activities.

Why do we collect, use and disclose personal information?

We may collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• if you are a Containers for Change Customer:
  • to facilitate your participation in the Queensland beverage container refund scheme including to respond to any enquiries or complaints you make;
  • to facilitate compliance with the law (e.g. provision and storage of refund declarations under s.99U of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act);
  • where required to verify your identity or to collect and process a refund declaration;
• if you are an Account Holder (in addition to the purposes listed above for a Containers for Change Customer):
  • to set up and allow you to use you Account, such as for multi-factor authentication, crediting your transactions to your Account, and allowing you to set goals and manage your payment settings;
  • to help you set up Accounts connected with an organisation;
  • to verify your affiliation with an organisation with whom your Account is connected;
  • to connect you with collection refund point operators to facilitate delivery of collections;
  • to contact you in relation to your Account, such as providing or facilitating customer support and facilitating interactions between you and container refund point operators;
  • to enable you to access and use, and monitor your use of, our website and applications;
  • to send you service, support and administrative messages, reminders, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and information requested by you;
• generally:
  • to provide you with information you have requested, such as newsletters;
  • to operate, protect, improve and optimise our website and applications, call centre, chat and chatbot services, business and associated services and our users' experience, such as to perform analytics, security, quality assurance and conduct research and development;
  • to send you marketing and promotional messages and other information that may be of interest to you, including information sent by, or on behalf of, our business partner that we think you may find interesting (see Do we use your personal information for direct marketing below, for further details);
  • to administer rewards, surveys, contests, or other promotional activities or events sponsored or managed by us or our business partners;
  • to comply with our legal obligations, respond to complaints and claims, and investigate and protect ourselves and third parties against any activity that we reasonably suspect to be fraudulent, inappropriate or unlawful, to resolve any disputes and to enforce our agreements;
  • to inform communications to and respond to requests for information from, the Queensland Government in relation to the performance of the Queensland beverage container refund scheme and related matters (e.g. customer complaints);
  • to support our responsibilities as the appointed product responsibility organisation to administer and govern the Queensland beverage container refund scheme, such as:
    • operating and facilitating the delivery of services in connection with the Queensland beverage container refund scheme (e.g., collection programs); and
    • conducting audits, reviews and investigations into actual, potential or suspected illegal or unethical behaviour in connection with the Queensland beverage container refund scheme;
  • for our marketing activities and to analyse and improve our services;
  • to protect our legitimate interests, for example, taking or responding to legal action or making insurance claims; and 
  • where permitted by law, any additional purpose which we inform you about or which you have agreed to.

Do we use your personal information for direct marketing?

Where we have your consent, we may send you direct marketing communications and information about our services from time to time. This may take the form of emails, SMS, mail or other forms of communication, in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Privacy Act. You may opt-out of receiving marketing materials from us by using the opt-out facilities provided (e.g. an unsubscribe link) or contacting us using the details provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.

To whom do we disclose your personal information?

We may disclose personal information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy to:

• container refund point operators that facilitate service delivery to you;
• any other authorised business involved in operating the Queensland beverage container refund scheme including the State of Queensland;
• our third-party suppliers and service providers, including providers of campaign, promotion, accounting, auditing, legal, banking, payment, debt collection, delivery, data processing, data analysis, document management, research, investigation, technology and training services;
• your team members, where you have established or joined a team Account;
• your organisation and its representatives, where you are a Customer signed up via an organisation.

We may also disclose personal information to the following personas in the following circumstances:

• anyone to whom our assets or businesses (or any part of them) are transfered;
• specific third parties authorised by you to receive information eld by us; and
• government agencies, regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies (and their service providers) for reporting, compliance, investigation, screening and law enforcement purposes, or as otherwise required, authorised or permitted by law.

With your permission, we may also profile you publicly to celebrate excellent work you are doing in connection with the scheme.

Disclosure of personal information outside Australia

Your personal information may be handled by our third-party suppliers and service providers located outside of Australia. Sometimes, this may constitute a disclosure of personal information. The countries in which these organisations are located will vary, but in the course of our business operations we typically disclose personal information to supplier organisations located in the Philippines, India, Singapore, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any disclosure of personal information to an overseas recipient complies with the Privacy Act. Generally this means that we will require the overseas recipient to deal with such personal information in a way that is consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Our use of cookies and similar technologies

While we do not use browsing information to identify you personally, we may record certain information about your use of our websites and mobile applications, such as which pages you visit, the time and date of your visit and the internet protocol address assigned to your computer or device.

We use 'cookies' or other similar tracking technologies on our websites and mobile applications that help us track your usage and remember your preferences. Cookies are small files that store information on your computer, TV, mobile phone or other device. They enable the entity that put the cookie on your device to recognise you across different websites, services, devices and browsing sessions. You can disable cookies through your internet browser, but our websites and mobile applications may not work as intended for you if you do so.

We may also use cookies to enable us to collect data that may include personal information. For example, where a cookie is linked to your Account, it will be considered personal information under the Privacy Act. We will handle any personal information collected by cookies in the same way that we handle all other personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Security and storage of your personal information

We hold personal information in electronic or hard copy form (or both) at our offices, on our servers and in some cases, in cloud storage on third party servers. 

We take reasonable steps and have safeguards in place to protect your personal information from misuse, interference and loss, as well as unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use a number of physical, administrative, personnel and technical measures to protect your personal information. These include but are not limited to: 

• implementing encryption technologies where practicable, passwords and access restrictions;
• deploying anti-malware and anti-virus software; and
• securing hard copy personal information within offices and other storage facilities via restricted access to those offices and facilities.

However, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information at all times, and there are inherent risks with the transmission of data, including personal information, over the internet.

Links to third party sites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. Those links are provided for convenience and may not remain current or be maintained. Unless expressly stated otherwise, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of, or any content on, those linked websites, and have no control over or rights in those linked websites. The privacy policies that apply to those other websites may differ substantially from our Privacy Policy, so we encourage you to read them before using those websites.

Accessing or correcting your personal information

You can request to access or correct the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the details at the end of this Privacy Policy. Sometimes, we may not be able to comply with your request and, where this is the case, we will tell you why. We may also need to seek further details from you to verify your identity before providing you with access to, or making changes to, your personal information.

The accuracy of the personal information we hold and use is important to us. If you think that any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is corrected.

Making a complaint

We take your privacy concerns seriously. If you have a question or wish to make a complaint regarding our privacy practices or the way we have handled your personal information, you can contact us using the details set out below. Please include your name, email address and telephone number and clearly describe your complaint. We will acknowledge your complaint and respond to you regarding your complaint within a reasonable period of time. 

Contact Us

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or if you would like to request access to, or a correction of, your personal information, or make a complaint, please contact us using the details set out below:

Privacy Officer
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 13 42 42

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Address: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
Telephone: 1300 363 992
Email: [email protected]