Celebrating eight years of Return and Earn

NEW South Wales’ container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, has marked eight years of successful recycling, refunding and keeping litter out of the environment.

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said a total of 410,523,469 containers had been recycled within the Lismore electorate and surrounding areas.

The figure includes 219,918,405 containers in Tweed, 108,452,980 in Lismore, and 51,842,200 in the Byron Shire.

The project’s impact across the state includes over 14.7 billion drink containers returned through the NSW network of more than 660 return points and over $1.4 billion in container refunds returned to recyclers.

Since launching on December 1, 2017, Return and Earn has changed behaviour, making recycling part of residents’ everyday routines.

The program has also become a fundraising platform for many charities and community groups, with more than $82 million raised from donations and hosting fees for return points since the scheme began.

Return and Earn has released the latest Local Government Area Network Volume Report, which shows eight years of enthusiastic community participation in the scheme by council area.

The report said local councils were vital partners in helping their communities to reduce litter and recycle more through the scheme.

“Many councils make it easy by hosting return points and encouraging locals to get involved,” the report stated.

“They also benefit from refunds earned through kerbside recycling, which go back into local projects and help keep the scheme thriving.”

Residents can enter their community’s container volume into the Return and Earn Impact

Calculator to see the equivalent water, energy, and landfill savings, as well as the CO2 emissions avoided.

Households should check the live status of their nearest return point on the Return and Earn app or website before visiting.

For more information, visit returnandearn.org.au