Lismore, Northern Rivers and NSW recyclers have benefited from $1.5 billion in refunds by returning a record 15 billion containers through Return and Earn.

Enthusiasm for Return and Earn has seen the tally of bottles, cartons and cans returned through the network soar from 14 billion to 15 billion containers in less than six months.

The estimated environmental benefits of the scheme, which launched in December 2017, include:

• energy savings equivalent to powering 204,750 homes for a year
• water savings equivalent to 35,186 Olympic swimming pools
• CO2 emissions are equivalent to taking nearly 1.1 million cars off the road for a year.

The staggering 15 billion milestone has been reached as the state government prepares to expand the scheme to accept wine and spirit bottles and larger drink containers from mid-2027.

The scheme expansion will divert an estimated 27,000 tonnes of materials from NSW landfills annually, and make an additional 362 million containers eligible for the 10 cent refund each year.

Return and Earn was first introduced as a litter reduction initiative and has become an integral part of NSW’s circular economy, with glass and plastic bottles processed and back on the shelves within weeks of being returned.

Return and Earn has also become a key fundraising platform for charities and community groups, with over $91.5 million in container refund donations and fees from hosting return points to support worthy causes since 2017.

Jeans for Genes is the latest major donation partner and is hoping to raise $200,000 through drink container refunds to support research into treatments and cures for children’s genetic conditions.

Acting Minister for the Environment, Steve Whan, said, “This impressive milestone of 15 billion containers shows just how much the community loves Return and Earn. The tally will only continue to grow, especially over summer when around nine million containers are returned each day.

“Return and Earn has doubled the recycling rate for beverage containers since it started, significantly reducing litter in NSW and putting money back into people’s pockets.

“By accepting more types of containers in the future, including wine and spirit bottles, NSW will boost recycling rates, divert more waste from landfill and deliver a more robust circular economy.”