Collect, fundraise or donate. Return and Earn makes it convenient and easy for you to support the charities or causes you care about – all while keeping the environment clean and recycling bottles and cans. There are hundreds of official donation partners you can support by donating your container refund. Read on to find out how to donate and learn more about our wonderful donation partners.

Major donation partner

RFS Benevolent Fund

People around the world were inspired by the heroic efforts of our firefighters during the Black Summer fires of 2019/20. $10 million from their generous donations have been used to establish the RFS Benevolent Fund, to support the wellbeing of our volunteer firefighters.

A separate body from the RFS, the Benevolent Fund is a charity that exists to help volunteer firefighters and their families when they need it the most. It will provide RFS members with practical, tangible and compassionate relief from poverty, distress or other hardship, including the families of firefighters killed on duty and those injured on the fireground.

The Benevolent Fund will be raising funds to ensure it can provide greater support to more members. You can help simply by recycling your eligible bottles and cans and pressing ‘DONATE’ on the screens at any Return and Earn machines.
You can also donate through the Return and Earn app at any machines and automated depots.

Together, we are aiming to raise $100,000 by 21 April 2024. Each eligible bottle or can donated will support volunteer firefighters who put their lives on the line fighting bush fires to protect our community.

How to donate through Return and Earn

RETURN AND EARN APP

You can select to donate your 10c refund to any charity, school, sports club or local community group featured on the app from any machines or automated depot (using Tag and Drop) in NSW. Simply:
  1. Open your Return and Earn app AND search for your favourite charity under the “CHARITIES” menu
  2. Press on its tile, scroll down and select ‘Set as payout’
  3. Scan your app at your local Return and Earn machine or automated depot (using Tag and Drop)
  4. Return your containers and press “TRANSFER” on the machine screen or follow the steps on the Tag and Drop screen at an automated depot.
100% of the refund will be donated to the donation partner that you selected to receive your payout.

RETURN AND EARN MACHINES

A minimum of two donation partners are featured on each screen of your local Return and Earn machines. To donate your 10c refund, simply:

  1. Return your drink containers
  2. Press “DONATE” on the touchscreen
  3. Select your preferred donation partner and press “CONFIRM” to validate your donation.

Their account will be credited with the full amount

RETURN AND EARN MACHINES

You can donate to the charities featured on the screen at any machine by:

  1. Return your containers
  2. Select your preferred donation partner on the touchscreen.
  3. Click ‘Donate’.

Their account will be automatically credited with the full amount.

AUTOMATED DEPOTS

Enquire with your nearest automated depot to check which charities they support.

You can also donate through the app if you use Tag and Drop. 

AUTOMATED DEPOTS

Enquire with your nearest automated depot to check which charities they support.

Check out some of our most active donation partners

Here’s just a snapshot of the types of causes you can support and fundraising campaigns you can donate to.

So open your Return and Earn app today and select to donate to your preferred cause or to the charity, school, sports club or local community group you have a connection with.

Bangalow Koalas

Bangalow Koalas Community Wildlife Corridor

Bangalow Koalas has grown into a thriving community group with a track record of achieving remarkable things, demonstrating how to get the community and landholders on board to restore habitat with a goal to plant 500,000 trees by the end of 2025. Refunds donated will be utilised to plant properties as part of our corridor across the Northern Rivers of NSW.

150 bottles or cans donated ($15) will buy 1 koala tree!

Maggie's Rescue

Cans for Cats

Maggie’s Rescue is a cooperative of volunteers, foster carers and animal advocates who work together to better the lives of companion animals. We have been assisting cats and kittens in the inner west for over 10 years. 100% of your donations will go help cover our ongoing veterinary costs, community education and desexing programs to help stop the cycle of kittens born on the streets and find homes for those in need.

Lions Club of Stroud Inc

Attending Lions International Youth Exchange Camp

The Lions Youth Exchange and Camps Program which gives Australian youth aged 15 -20 years an opportunity to travel overseas to create and foster a spirit of understanding among peoples of the world. By providing an avenue for global fellowship, the YCE program aims to help youth initiate, grow and maintain international relationships promoting cultural understanding and international peace.

Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Women's Shelter

Help Save A Woman’s Life

HKWS offers vulnerable women a safe and supportive environment to escape and recover from the trauma of domestic violence and homelessness. We are raising much needed funds to provide support to rebuild physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Every drink container you can donate helps: 50 bottles or cans donated provides a dignity pack, 100 bottles or cans provides a warm meal.

Lindsay Park Public School P&C Association

Improving our School While Reducing our Footprint

We are a well-established P&C association, supporting students, teachers, parents, carers and the broader community of Lindsay Park Public School.

We are raising money to improve our school while reducing our environmental footprint.

New England Railway Inc.

Full Restoration of Rail Motor 635-765

Our organisation raising much needed funds to fully restore a historical rail motor (635-765) back to operational use so that our volunteers can operate heritage rail services in the Armidale and Northern Tablelands area of NSW. This will provide a unique heritage rail tourism experience for the community by providing tours, charters and special event shuttles at community events in the area.

Find and select your donation partner

Donation partners on the Return and Earn app

An unlimited number of charities, schools, sports club and community groups can be featured on the Return and Earn app. To view the full list and how much your preferred organisation has raised so far, simply open your Return and Earn app, press “Charities” and search for your preferred donation partner. 

Donation partners on screens at Return and Earn machines

Click “View PDF” below to check which local charity, sports club, school or community groups are featured on the screens of your local Return and Earn machine.

Tip! Search by LGA or look up a specific organisation with ‘Ctrl+F’ and type in the charity’s name

Can’t find your charity?

If your favourite charity, school, sports club or community group isn’t listed as a donation partner, why not let them know they could be raising funds with the Return and Earn scheme?

Interested in fundraising?

Click below to find out how your charity, school, P&C, sports club or community group can start fundraising with Return and Earn.

Major appeals and charity campaigns (2019 – 2023)

Youth Off The Streets

TBC

Protect Our Planet

$158,000 donated

Animal Welfare League NSW

$94,000 donated

Containers for Kids

$122,540 donated

Bottles for the Bush

$423,519 donated

Cans for Koalas

$144,515 donated

Bottles CAN Change Lives

$244,383 donated

Donation success stories

NSW recyclers donate nearly one million drink containers to support animal welfare

Return and Earn raises funds and awareness for the Asylum Seekers Centre

Container recycling nets $122,540 for Starlight Children’s Foundation

Community rallies to support women’s shelter with container refunds

Donations FAQs

  • Where can I donate?

    You can donate the 10c refund for each eligible container returned at any Return and Earn machine and at select automated depots in NSW. Find your closest return point on the map.

  • How do I donate?

    There are several ways to donate your drink container refunds. You can donate to the charities featured on the screen at the Return and Earn machines, select your preferred charity or cause on the Return and Earn app, or visit your nearest automated depot to check which charities they support. Or you can donate through the Return and Earn app through Tag and Drop.

    To donate on the screens at machines, simply return your containers and when you’re done, select your preferred charity on the screen and click ‘donate’.

    To donate on the Return and Earn app, you will need to set a donation partner as your payout method. Login to the app and click ‘Charities’. Use the search tool to find your preferred charity campaign and click on its tile. A new page detailing the campaign will appear. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the button ‘Set as payout’. Your chosen donation partner will be set as your payout method and next time you return your containers at a machine using the app, your refund will be sent to that partner.

  • What is a donation partner?

    A donation partner is a not-for-profit organisation that has been approved to be featured either on the touch screen or on the app to receive donations from the Return and Earn community.

    Types of organisations that are listed as donation partners include charities, schools, sporting clubs, community and special interest clubs and groups. Political causes or organisations are not permitted to become donation partners.

  • Do I have to use a machine to donate?

    You need to return your containers at a Return and Earn machine in order to donate either on the touchscreen or through the app.

    Some automated depots also support charities and allow you to donate your refunds directly. Enquire with your nearest automated depot to check which charities they support.

    Or you can donate through the Return and Earn app through Tag and Drop.

    Find your nearest automated depot and their contact details on the map.

  • Do I need to use the Return and Earn app to donate?

    No but the app features many donation partners and causes you can choose from.

    You can also donate your refunds to any donation partner featured on the touchscreen of your closest Return and Earn machine.

    Simply return your containers and when you’re done, select your preferred charity on the screen and click ‘donate’. Or visit your nearest automated depot to check which charities they support.

  • I want to donate to a charity or cause who are not listed as a donation partner. What do I do?

    You can get in touch with the charity, not-for-profit organisation, school, sports club or community group that you’d like to donate to and suggest they sign up! For more information, visit TOMRA’s website here.

  • How much money goes to my chosen donation partner?

    100% of the donated refund goes to your chosen donation partner.

  • How do I change my default payout method on the app?

    In the middle of the home screen, you will see “Your active payout” which will either state “PayPal”, “Digital Voucher” or a campaign name. By clicking on this white box, you will open up a list of all payout methods available. Here you can select your default payout for all future payments until this is changed.

  • Can I get a tax receipt for my donation?

    Only if the charity you donate to has obtained the Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status with the Australian Tax Office.

    If you donate through the Return and Earn app, the user can download a receipt of all the donations made to a charity with DGR status from within the app. Open the app and click on ‘Refunds’. On the next page, press the ‘Export’ icon in the top right-hand corner. Select the date range and a report and/or tax receipt (if applicable) will be sent to the nominated email address, showing donations made to a charity that has obtained DGR status.

    If you donate to a charity that has the DGR status at a Return and Earn machine, it will print a receipt for all donations made over $2.00.

  • Can I keep track of my donations?

    You can keep track of the donations you have made on the Return and Earn app.

    To access your records, open the app and click on ‘Charities’. Go to the ‘My Donations’ tab on the left-hand side to view a summary of all donations made through the app.

    Scroll down to see each individual campaign you’ve donated to and how much you’ve contributed to each one of them.

    To view your whole recycling history using the app, click ‘Refunds’ on your homepage and you will be able to view all of your donations and other types of refunds that  you received via the app.

  • How do I become a donation partner?

    If you are interested in learning more about fundraising through Return and Earn, check out this page.

    If you want to apply to become a donation partner on the machines or the app, visit https://mytomra.com.au/charity/nsw