Apple will allow its Australian customers to trade-in their iPhones and iPads for credit towards new models.

Customers can receive a maximum of $250 credit towards a new iPhone or up to $215 for an iPad, Apple said in a statement on Tuesday.

The latest models – the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, and iPad Air – are not eligible for the credit, nor are Apple’s first-generation models, though customers can still bring them in for recycling.

The program, which first launched last August in the United States, helps Apple bolster its green credentials.

Yet it also helps the company retain customers, giving them an incentive to remain in Apple’s ecosystem rather than defecting to rivals such as Samsung.

Apple has for years offered various recycling initiatives for several devices via its website.

But by encouraging customers to visit its stores, Apple increases the likelihood that they might pick up other gadgets.