Devoted ‘Grams’ Cathy York values looking after the environment and is using visits to Return and Earn to share her passion with her young grandsons.
The lessons learnt by Jackson, 6, and Fraser, 3, while having fun returning containers for the 10c refund include sustainability and the value of work and money, Cathy said.
“I’ve always been very conscious about the environment and trying to do my bit, and I’ve been actively participating in Return and Earn since it launched on the Central Coast,” she explained.
“I live on a street with both a pub and a bottle shop, and I regularly pick up discarded recyclable containers during my weekend walks.
“I wanted to do Return and Earn just as a little activity with the boys, but also to get them to understand you have to make money to spend money,” Cathy said.
“I show the boys ‘this is how much you made’ in coins. With the rise in ‘tap and go’ spending there will be a generation that won’t know what coins are, their value and how to count change.
“They thoroughly enjoy watching the conveyor belt process the empty containers and seeing the collection trucks lift and empty the large recycling crates with a satisfying glass crash.
“The little one uses a little stool and then he can see the conveyor belt as he puts the containers in.”
So far, the trio have returned 8,000 containers, adding up to $800 in savings for the boys.
To return her containers, Cathy uses the Return and Earn app to check the availability of the nearest machines that are enroute to other activities.
The app is also connected to her PayPal account, which the return money goes into.
“Through our involvement with Return and Earn, my grandsons have learnt the value of working to earn money, which I then transfer to their bank accounts,” she said.
“Some of the money in the past has been used for their swimming lessons and Little Kickers (soccer).
“Return and Earn is a practical money learning experience that also allows us to actively participate in the circular economy and support environmental sustainability in our community.”
