NSW’s container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, has reached two major milestones, with 16 billion bottles, cans and cartons returned through local collection points, putting $1.6 billion in refunds back into the pockets of recyclers.
The Cobar community has played its part in that achievement since the local Return and Earn service was established at the Empire Hotel by Cindy and Andrew Bryan in February 2018.
The Cobar & District Rugby Club took over as the local Return and Earn agent in February 2020, with club members volunteering their time to sort and pack containers.
Club president Peter Payne said the service currently operates three collection days each week and receives an average of 10,000 eligible containers a day.
The volume allows the club to fill a 20-foot shipping container in about a week. Each container holds around 30,000 items, with the club recycling more than 1.5 million containers each year.
Mr Payne said the return point hosting fees had provided a valuable source of income and helped cover the club’s annual operating costs.
The Rotary Club of Cobar has also been running its own container collection initiative for more than 10 years, using the program as a successful community fundraiser.
Rotarian Gordon Hill said the club had collected and recycled more than 135,000 containers, raising funds to support Macquarie Home Stay, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, local schools, the Cobar Girl Guides and numerous other charities and community organisations.
Across NSW, more than $100 million has been raised for charities and community groups through Return and Earn donations and return point hosting fees.
For communities like Cobar, Return and Earn has become more than a recycling initiative, providing an ongoing source of support for local sporting clubs, service organisations and community groups
