New South Wales’ container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, has passed 15 billion containers returned, with the state's recyclers receiving more than $1.5 billion in refunds since the program began.
According to the New South Wales government, the milestone was reached in less than six months, with the total rising from 14 billion to 15 billion returned bottles, cartons and cans. The scheme currently sees around nine million containers returned each day over the summer period.
The state government is preparing to expand Return and Earn to include wine and spirit bottles, as well as larger drink containers, from mid-2027. The expansion is expected to make an additional 362 million containers eligible for the 10-cent refund each year and divert an estimated 27,000 tonnes of material from New South Wales landfills annually.
The New South Wales government also estimates that, since its launch in December 2017, the scheme has delivered energy savings equivalent to powering 204,750 homes for a year, water savings equal to 35,186 Olympic swimming pools, and emissions reductions comparable to taking nearly 1.1 million cars off the road for a year.
Return and Earn was introduced as a litter-reduction initiative and now processes glass and plastic containers back into new products within weeks of being returned, according to the government.
The scheme has also generated more than $91.5 million in container refund donations and hosting fees for charities and community groups since 2017. Jeans for Genes is the latest donation partner and is aiming to raise $200,000 through container refunds to support research into children’s genetic conditions.
Acting Minister for the Environment, Steve Whan, said community participation continued to drive the program’s growth.
“This impressive milestone of 15 billion containers shows just how much the community loves Return and Earn,” Whan said.
“Return and Earn has doubled the recycling rate for beverage containers since it started, significantly reducing litter in New South Wales and putting money back into people’s pockets.”
According to Whan, expanding the range of eligible containers would further lift recycling outcomes.
“By accepting more types of containers in the future, including wine and spirit bottles, New South Wales will boost recycling rates, divert more waste from landfill and deliver a more robust circular economy,” he concluded.
