Container Deposit Scheme

The NSW Government is delivering the largest litter reduction scheme ever
introduced in NSW, Return and Earn.

Return and Earn was rolled out from 1 December 2017 and is helping to reduce the 160
million drink containers littering our environment each year. Drink containers make
up almost half of the volume of litter in NSW.

Return and Earn is part of the NSW Government’s commitment to reducing litter
volume in NSW by 40 per cent by 2020.

Key features of Return and Earn are:

• When the scheme is fully rolled out, there will be more than 500 collection points across the state, including in remote towns of more than 500 people and at 270 sites across the Greater Sydney Region;
  

• The 10-cent refund at reverse vending machines will be provided as a voucher for in store redemption, electronic transfer, cash or may be donated to a community group;
  

• Eligible containers include most glass, cans, plastic and paperboard drink containers between 150 millilitres and three litres – those most often found in the litter stream.
  

How will this benefit my community?
The main beneficiaries of the scheme will be the environment and the community.
Over the next 20 years, the scheme is expected to result in:

1. 1.6 billion fewer beverage containers as litter
2. Almost 11 billion fewer beverage containers ending up in landfill
3. 12.6 billion more beverage containers being recycled.

What containers are eligible?
Most empty 150-millilitre to three-litre beverage containers will be eligible for a 10 cent refund when presented to an approved NSW collection point. There are some exceptions, and containers not eligible for a refund are described in the section below.

Container materials that may be eligible for a refund include PET, HDPE, glass, aluminium
steel, liquid paperboard.

Scheme exceptions

Containers that are not included in the scheme and therefore do not qualify for a
refund are:

These drinks are predominantly consumed at home and are not found in the litter stream. They are also broadly similar to the exceptions in the South Australian and Northern Territory container deposit schemes, to aid consistency.

How do I participate?

As of 1 December 2017, consumers are able to exchange an eligible container at an
approved collection point to receive a 10 cent refund per container. Containers
should be empty, uncrushed, unbroken and with the original label attached.
There will be more than 500 collection points across NSW that may include reverse
vending machines (RVMs) in your local shopping centre or shops, over-the-counter
sites, existing recycling centres, or a combination of all. 

Collection Points

Fact Sheet

DrumMUSTER

Mobile Muster

MobileMuster is a free mobile phone recycling program that accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories. Basically, it's the industry's way of ensuring mobile phone products don't end up in landfill - but instead are recycled in a safe, secure and ethical way.

So why is this important? 

Well, over 90% of the materials used in a mobile are recyclable and can be reused, avoiding future greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, protecting our environment and conserving scarce natural resources.

Mobile phone components should also never be thrown in the rubbish, where they can end up in landfill. For one thing they're not biodegradable, so they won't break down. On top of that, mobiles contain some substances that can potentially harm the environment if not disposed of correctly.

How to recycle

MobileMuster works with Lachlan Shire Council Australia Post to collect phones from the general public. We encourage people to return their old phones to the Lachlan Shire Council Office.

Each and every mobile we receive will be sent off to Mobile Muster to be dismantled and recycled, and any data left on the handset is destroyed through the recycling process.