“TOMRA Cleanaway are proud and passionate to be delivering a safe, convenient and accessible scheme for the citizens of NSW. It is what we live and breathe every day and we are on a mission to continue to improve every time we come to work.” 

A New Milestone For NSW’s Return and Earn

Wednesday 23 February 2022 marks the newest milestone to be achieved through the NSW Container Deposit Scheme, Return and Earn. 7 billion containers have now been deposited through the Return and Earn network of return points, delivered by TOMRA Cleanaway. 7 billion containers collected is a testament to the success of Return and Earn, which has delivered significant, environmental, social and economic benefit over four years of scheme operation.

Return and Earn is a partnership between the NSW Government, Scheme Coordinator Exchange for Change and Network Operator TOMRA Cleanaway. Launched in December 2017 it has become the state’s largest litter reduction initiative.

Highlighting the success of the scheme is the fact that two out of three eligible containers are returned, which has delivered over 672,000 tonnes of high-quality recyclables for use as a clean and ‘in demand’ commodity in the domestic and international recycling market. 7 billion containers also means that $700m has been returned to the NSW community.

Community engagement and participation continues to grow

These exceptional outcomes could not have been achieved without the support and engagement of NSW citizens. In NSW, 78% of adults have participated in Return and Earn, with many making use of the TOMRA Cleanaway network for Return and Earn a habitual part of their routine. At the heart of participation is the provision of a convenient and accessible network of return points by TOMRA Cleanaway, and our third-party return point partners that make it easy for citizens to obtain their 10c container refunds.

James Dorney, TOMRA Cleanaway CEO, reflected on the significant environmental outcomes achieved through community participation in the scheme saying, “7 billion containers collected means a significant number of containers that might have otherwise ended up as litter or landfill are now recycled, which is an outstanding result for our beaches, rivers and parks. We are not only reducing our environmental impact but the containers collected are being put to high-end recycling applications.”

Millions of dollars raised for charities and community groups

Charity outcomes generated through the scheme have continued to grow over the first four years of operation, with increasing opportunities for community groups and charities to utilise Return and Earn for fundraising. To date, more than $30 million has been raised for charities and community groups via donations and fees since the scheme commenced in December 2017.

PCYC NSW is just one of the thousands of charities that have made Return and Earn a key part of their fundraising strategy. Over $150,000 has been raised, with PCYC hosting 4 return points. In addition to this, there has been significant participation from 51 of the 66 PCYC clubs across NSW as registered donation recipients on the Return and Earn app, enabling the donation of 10c for each container returned if the charity is selected by NSW citizens engaged in the Return and Earn program.

The Starlight Foundation is another organisation to benefit from Return and Earn with $100,000 expected to be raised for the charity by the end of this month.

Learn more about the NSW container deposit scheme by visiting Return and Earn.

Find out about how TOMRA Cleanaway is delivering a robust technology-based network in NSW here.

For more information on how we are delivering the NSW container deposit scheme network, please contact us