NSW’s largest litter reduction initiative
Littering impacts all of us. It spoils our environment, costs millions of dollars to clean up, and depletes our recyclable resources.
The NSW Return and Earn scheme has contributed to a 40% reduction in litter with a 52% overall reduction in the volume of drink container litter since its launch in December 2017 to June 2020, and continues to reduce the litter pollution entering our environment.
Along with our partners Cleanaway, we are proud to be playing a key role in the Return and Earn scheme, by providing over 1,200 TOMRA reverse vending machines across NSW.
Together with Cleanaway, over 2 billion containers are being returned and processed every year. All of these containers are being recycled – most of them back into new containers again.
Return Point Types
Return and Earn Kiosk
- Over 320 outdoor Reverse Vending Machine Kiosks across NSW – located in convenient community places like shopping centres, pubs, clubs, parks, sporting grounds and community centres
- Quick, easy, and fully automated, they are open all day every day most from 7am to 10pm seven days a week.
- Fast and accurate, they accept up to 100 containers per minute making them great for both small and large quantities of drink containers.
- Every Return and Earn kiosk offers the chance to get your refund in multiple ways – including retail cash voucher, E-voucher, direct bank transfer, or transfer to PayPal.
Return and Earn Centre
Indoors and air-conditioned with onsite parking, each centre features six reverse vending machines for expanded capacity and provides a quick, convenient experience whatever the weather. Most centres are open all day every day, from 7am to 7pm and can be found at:
Return and Earn Express
Located in shopping centres, Return and Earn Express is great for small volume returns as a part of your shopping trip – perfect for taking 100 containers or less for a quick return. The kiosks in each store use compaction to ensure maximum uptime. Return and Earn express can be found at the following locations:
How to get a refund at a R&E Reverse Vending Machine
Cash Voucher
- Cash Vouchers are available at every Return and Earn machine and are redeemable for instant cash at the designated local retail redemption partner.
- To get a cash voucher, recyclers return their containers and press “Voucher” on the screen. No sign-up necessary. Alternatively, recyclers can scan their Return and Earn app barcode to store their voucher electronically.
- Recyclers hand their voucher in to the service counter at the listed retail redemption partner to receive instant cash.
Shopping Discount
- Shopping vouchers are available from every Return and Earn machine and are redeemable for instant cash at the local retail redemption partner (listed on the top of the voucher).
- To get a cash voucher, recyclers return their containers and press “Voucher” on the screen. No sign-up necessary. Alternatively, recyclers can scan their Return and Earn app barcode to store their refund as an E-Voucher.
- Recyclers scan their voucher at the retail redemption partner (listed on the voucher) when paying for your groceries to get their shopping discount.
Bank Transfer
- Recyclers can download the Return and Earn App and select Bank Transfer as their preferred payout method.
- Before starting their session, recyclers scan their personal Return and Earn App barcode at the machine.
- Recyclers insert their containers and select Payout. Refunds are paid within 1 business day.
PayPal
- Recyclers can download the Return and Earn App and select PayPal as their preferred payout method.
- Before starting their session, recyclers scan their personal Return and Earn App barcode at the machine.
- Recyclers insert their containers and select Payout. Refunds are paid within 1 business day.
Charity Donation
- Recyclers can donate via the on-screen charities – simply selecting “Donate” on screen after returning their containers.
OR
- Recyclers can donate via the Return and Earn app by selecting Charity Donations as their payout method, and selecting their preferred charity
- Recyclers scan their personal barcode at the Return and Earn machine before starting their session.
- Recyclers insert their containers and select “Transfer” on the screen. The charity will receive 100% of the donated refund within 1 week.
What’s Eligible?
Most beverage containers (larger than 150ml and smaller than 3L) that are made from aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard are eligible for a 10c refund when returned to a Return and Earn Reverse Vending Machine.
Do not crush the containers or remove the labels as our scanners will need to identify the shape, label and barcode to register the refund. Recyclers can leave their lids on when returning your containers.
Eligible containers:
Ineligible containers:
Be part of Return and Earn
Hosting a Return and Earn Kiosk
Like to be part of the resource revolution and earn rental income? Do you own or control a suitable site? We’re always looking for additional sites for our R&E reverse vending machine kiosks. We’re interested in easily accessible sites which are convenient to the public and which include:
- External car parks of medium to large shopping centres or supermarkets
- Petrol stations or highly visible sites with significant passing traffic
- Sporting clubs, RSL’s, and Community Centres
If you think your site might qualify, please contact our team.
Smart, Reliable, Accurate, Scalable
Keep your container return point running smoothly with a system that’s accurate, reliable, and efficient. Each TOMRA Bulk Sorter can process up to 6000 containers per hour.
Why Choose TOMRA?
- High-precision sorting – all material
- Recognition by barcode and shape
- 40+ years’ experience
- Adaptable to your requirements
- Intuitive controls, easy access for cleaning and maintenance
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