As Bathurst gears up for a busy summer tourism season, the Return and Earn depot is enhancing services to make recycling easier for both locals and visitors.
The depot is supporting both the circular economy and tourism in the area with on-the-spot cash refunds available at local sporting events.
The team at Bathurst Return and Earn depot recently collected an incredible 10,935 eligible containers from the 2024 Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout over the October long weekend at Hereford Street Sporting Fields in Bathurst.
The Koori Knockout is one of the biggest annual sporting gatherings of Indigenous peoples in Australia. Football superstars, elders and fans descended on Bathurst, Wiradjuri Country, for the four-day tournament. The tournament welcomed 140 teams to play in multiple age grades and organisers said about 30,000 people attended the tournament from 4 to 7 October.
Bathurst Return and Earn Depot also supported the Bathurst 1000 Supercars event, at Mount Panorama. The huge event saw over 190,000 visitors across the four-day event from 10 to 13 October, with over 90,000 eligible containers collected directly onsite and many more via the depot.
“We’re thrilled to offer a seamless experience for returning eligible drink containers. There’s no need to pre-sort, which means you can easily bring in large quantities and return on the spot for the 10c refund per container,” said Amy Conroy, Manager of the Bathurst Return and Earn depot.
Users of Bathurst Return and Earn Depot enjoy on-the-spot cash refunds for returning their eligible containers through the convenient bulk depot Return and Earn service.
“It was great to be able to support the community and provide convenient access to Return and Earn,” Ms Conroy said.
The depot under new ownership since July, is now accepting a broader range of return types, including bulk bins, bales and even ute and truckloads. This expansion means that container returns are faster, friendlier and more efficient than ever before.
Collections are also available for businesses, hospitality venues, sporting and community groups.
“We look forward to working with businesses around Bathurst for collections and drop offs, making recycling effortless for our customers,” added Ms Conroy.
Locals can use Tag and Drop to donate their refund to one of the many donation partners listed on the Return and Earn app. Or they can use the donation box available at the depot to donate to, Boys to the Bush, who engage with and improve outcomes for vulnerable young males. This allows depot customers to donate to a worthy cause while they recycle.
More than 12 billion containers have been returned for recycling through the network of over 630 return points across NSW since the scheme began, resulting in more than $1.2 billion in container refunds back in people’s pockets.
Return and Earn is also a key fundraising channel for many charities and community groups in NSW with more than $62 million raised from donations and fees from hosting return points since the scheme launched.
The Bathurst Return and Earn depot is located at 51 Upfold Street, Bathurst. Opening hours are now 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
For more information visit: www.returnandearn.org.au.
Key Facts:
As Bathurst gears up for a busy summer tourism season, the Return and Earn depot is enhancing services to make recycling easier for both locals and visitors.
The Bathurst Return and Earn depot is located at 51 Upfold Street, Bathurst. Opening hours are now 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Contact details:
Denne Dempsey M: 0474313310
E: media@exchangeforchange.com.au
