Just in time for Christmas, the newest return point to launch on NSW’s mid-north coast was Port Macquarie Return and Earn. Serving the community of the Port Macquarie Hastings local government area, the site has been established to complement the existing TOMRA Cleanaway network for Return and Earn.

 Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams was on hand to announce the new Return and Earn facility had opened for container collections.

“Now it’s even easier for Port Macquarie locals to return and earn with a new large-format Return and Earn automated depot now open in the industrial area,” she said.

Owned and operated by Sapphire 2.0, business partners Beau Champion and Bree Seledec, the pair hosted Leslie William MP and Vesna Davidovic from TOMRA Cleanaway at 25 Jindalee Rd, Port Macquarie facility. The tour was focused on demonstrating the operations delivered for the community at Port Macquarie Return and Earn. The site has been established to provide residents of the Port Macquarie area the opportunity to return bulk volumes of containers, whether 5 or 5,000 containers; Port Macquarie Return and Earn will take them all!

It will also provide employment opportunities for local community members whilst supporting businesses, schools, sporting groups and charities like the local Rotary club of Port Macquarie and charity of choice, the national Aboriginal not-for-profit KARI Foundation.

More than eight billion drink containers have been returned for recycling through Return and Earn’s network of 600 plus return points across NSW since the scheme launched in 2017.

“Port Macquarie residents are keen participants in Return and Earn, having returned more than 107 million containers for recycling since the scheme launched in December 2017,” Mrs Williams said.

“The new facility complements the existing 11 return points in the Port Macquarie area.”

While any volume of containers can be returned, the automatic sorting and counting machines on site will make it ideal for customers looking to refund more than 500 containers at a time.

Port Macquarie Return and Earn automated depot is located at 25 Jindalee Rd, Port Macquarie.

This article was first published in the Port Macquarie News.