The NSW Container Deposit Scheme, Return and Earn, reached a new milestone last month with five billion containers returned for recycling.
This means that $500 million in refunds were returned to the NSW community and $18.2 million was raised for charities and community groups through donations and fees from hosting return points.
Return and Earn is a partnership between the NSW Government, scheme coordinator Exchange for Change and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway.
The scheme, which launched in December 2017 and has more than 620 return point around the state, has become a way of life for NSW residents, with research from Kantar showing that three out of four NSW adults have participated in the scheme and 88 per cent support it.
Danielle Smalley, CEO of Exchange for Change says these latest achievements reflect not just the high levels of community support for the scheme but also the strong environmental outcomes it has delivered.
“The environmental benefits are impressive with two out of three eligible containers supplied in NSW being returned through the scheme resulting in over 460,000 tonnes of waste avoiding the litter stream and landfill to be turned into a clean, valuable commodity,” she said.
“These results demonstrate that what we do as individuals is really important and can make a difference. Equally important to this success has been the contribution of the beverage industry, who fund the scheme in an inspiring example of extended-producer responsibility in action. These achievements would not have been possible without their involvement.”