News
1 December, 2025
Return and Earn initiative celebrates eighth birthday
Return and Earn today has celebrated eight years of rewarding NSW communities for recycling and making a positive impact.
Return and Earn today has celebrated eight years of rewarding NSW communities for recycling and making a positive impact.
Return and Earn is delivered in partnership between the NSW Government, scheme coordinator Exchange for Change and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway.
An astounding 14.7 billion drink containers have been returned for the 10c refund across local government areas throughout NSW since Return and Earn began on 1 December 2017.
Return and Earn’s birthday coincides with the scheme releasing the latest Local Government Area Network Volume Report today, which shows the total volume of containers redeemed by the community through return points by local government area since the scheme launched.
The six LGA’s in this region with Return and Earn collection points include Camden, Goulburn Mulwaree, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Yass Valley.
A total of more than 592 million materials (or almost 35 thousand tonnes) were recycled across these LGAs since 2017.
The exact figures are as follows:
Goulburn Mulwaree = 78,014,052 materials (4,723.6 tonnes)
Camden = 349,418,263 materials (18,849.3 tonnes)
Upper Lachlan = 10,803,965 materials (699.6 tonnes)
Wingecarribee = 62,528,223 materials (4,468.9 tonnes)
Wollondilly = 60,767,997 materials (3,886.5 tonnes)
Yass Valley = 31,445,982 materials (2,077.7 tonnes)
The much-loved scheme is supported by 93 per cent of NSW adults and has a participation rate of 83 per cent.
In just eight years, over $1.4 billion in container refunds have gone back into people’s pockets, helping with the cost of living, saving for a special goal or supporting charities and organisations.
James Dorney, CEO of network operator TOMRA Cleanaway, said the network had grown to over 660 return points.
“NSW recyclers love Return and Earn and the variety of ways to return their containers, including depots for large volumes of containers, hundreds of machines or over-the-counter options,” he said.
“As we celebrate this birthday, we’re moving into the busiest time of year for Return and Earn, with up to nine million containers expected to be returned daily.
“Recyclers can check the status of their local return point on the Return and Earn app or website before heading out. People wanting to return large quantities quickly should try a Return and Earn depot.”
Danielle Smalley, CEO of scheme coordinator, Exchange for Change, said she believes Return and Earn is the best product stewardship scheme in the country.
“Return and Earn’s birthday is a great opportunity to look at the impact the scheme has made over the last eight years,’’ she said.
“Its convenience means recycling eligible drink containers is now part of everyday routines such as shopping, the school drop-off or driving home from work.
“Return and Earn is also supporting important causes, with over $82 million raised for charities and community groups through donations and return point hosting fees since December 2017.”
Return & Earn was an initiative of the Hon. Gabrielle Upton, former Member for Vaucluse and Minister for the Environment.
Ms. Upton was appointed as NSW’s first woman to serve as the NSW Attorney General in April 2015 during the Baird Government.
For more information on Return and Earn, visit www.returnandearn.org.au.
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