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Local councils are vital partners in shifting community attitudes to litter and recycling and ultimately the success of Return and Earn, the NSW container deposit scheme.
Many councils across New South Wales are making it easy for their community to Return and Earn by hosting return points in their area. They’re not just providing convenient locations; they’re also actively encouraging locals to get involved and sharing the refund from containers collected through kerbside recycling to funnel back into their communities, contributing to the continued success of the scheme.
LGA network volume reports
Exchange for Change (EfC), the scheme coordinator for Return and Earn, publishes six-monthly local government area (LGA) network volume reports that list the total volume and the tonnage of drink containers returned for recycling through the return point network.
Historical six-monthly reports for LGAs are also available on the EfC website.
Council Impact Calculator
Use our new calculator to find out the positive environmental impacts of drink container recycling in your LGA, including energy, water and carbon output savings as well as waste diverted from landfill. Use the volume reports above to find the number of containers from your LGA.
Local Council Toolkit & Resources
This Council Toolkit has been developed to help local government engage with your communities on the Return and Earn scheme. It is full of information and resources to help understand how Return and Earn works and the benefits of recycling eligible drink containers through the scheme.
It also includes content and assets to assist councils during the scheme’s peak season in summer when residents often contact their local council for information.
Fund sharing arrangements
For the benefit of your ratepayers, as a local council you can arrange to share the container refunds with the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that collects and/or sorts household recycling.
MRFs receive a refund on every eligible container they collect and/or source through the council kerbside recycling system. MRFs are required to negotiate a refund sharing arrangement with councils that supply their kerbside material.
As a local council entering in to a MRF negotiation, we recommend you seek your own independent legal advice. You’ll find helpful resources and information on the Office of Local Government website.
Other useful information
Please visit the following links to find some more relevant information:
Material recovery facility processing refund protocol
17-25 Container Deposit Scheme and waste management contracts
Hosting a return point
A local council may enter into a commercial agreement with the network operator, TOMRA Cleanaway, to host a return point. Contact TOMRA Cleanaway for more information.
Contact us
If you have any questions or you would like to learn more, please call the scheme coordinator Exchange for Change on 1800 813 887 or email us at contactus@returnandearn.org.au.