Being able to return drink containers for cash might have started as an exercise in reducing litter, but it has turned out to also be very lucrative for communities around Australia.
The NSW Return and Earn scheme hit a new record this week, with a staggering 13 billion bottles, cans and cartons returned through the return point network since the scheme began in 2017.
This means over $1.3 billion in container refunds have gone back into people’s pockets, helping with the cost of living, saving for a special goal or supporting amazing causes. Over $72 million has also been raised for charities and community groups through donations and return point hosting fees.
South Australia has long led the nation in the recovery, recycling and litter reduction of beverage containers, having started up its first deposit scheme in 1977 – almost 50 years ago. It now boasts a current, overall return rate of 76% in 2022–23, meaning that beverage containers now make up only 2.8% of litter because of this refund scheme.
According to EPASA, each year around 660 million drink containers (about 40,000 tonnes) are returned by South Australians for refund and recycling. That’s an estimated $60m returned to the community each year.
Since 2018, the ACT scheme has returned 365.9 million containers, with 67% of supplied containers redeemed through the scheme (network + kerbside) in the last 12 months.
Queensland also started its ‘Containers for Change’ scheme in 2018, and at last count, Queenslanders have returned 9,600,404,755 containers through refund points, with a further 1,772,034,886 recycled through kerbside recycling programs.
In NSW, a record-breaking summer culminated with 23 December 2024 setting a record for the biggest single day ever at 10.3 million containers, taking 2024 to be the biggest year yet with 2.125 billion containers returned.
The benefits of successful container recycling programmes goes much further than just putting money in our pockets, however. The impact of recycling 13 billion drink containers through Return and Earn instead of using virgin materials to create new containers includes:
– Two out of every three eligible drink containers supplied in NSW are now redeemed, increasing recycling rates and reducing the beverage industry’s reliance on virgin PET, glass and aluminium.
– Water savings equivalent to 30,524 Olympic swimming pools and energy savings equivalent to powering 136,864 Aussie homes for an entire year.
– CO-2 emission savings equivalent to taking 582,215 cars off the road annually.
Danielle Smalley, CEO of scheme coordinator, Exchange for Change says that recycling isn’t just about cleaning up the environment – it’s about turning waste into valuable resources to grow our circular economy.
“Together, we are contributing to a more sustainable future, where the materials that our bottles, cans and cartons are made of are kept in use and out of landfill”, she added.
Return and Earn has raised funds for everything from weddings and holidays to free care flights for sick children and meals for people doing it tough. Community members can donate their refund to one of over 300 donation partners listed on the Return and Earn app or to the current statewide donation partner, food relief charity, Foodbank NSW & ACT.
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