Skip to content
Community, Environment

New upgrades make Return and Earn easier in Bathurst

Return and Earn 2 mins read

Return and Earn has launched an innovative “takes-all” trial set to transform how Bathurst residents recycle eligible drink containers.  

Local machines have been upgraded and can accept all eligible containers in any single chute. This new technology has removed the need to pre-sort containers making it faster to return and earn the 10c refund for every container.  

The following Return and Earn machines have been upgraded:   

  • Service NSW Return and Earn machine located at 2 Bradwardine Rd, Robin Hill. Open daily from 7:00am to 10:00pm. 
  • OpShop Kelso Return and Earn machine located at 8 Lions Club Drive, Kelso. Open daily from 7:00am to 10:00pm.

Recyclers can still print a voucher for the refund amount, either redeeming it for cash at the redemption partner listed on the machine, or opting for an e-voucher or direct payment into their bank or PayPal account using the Return and Earn app.    

“Bathurst residents are already enthusiastic recyclers, having returned more than 124 million eligible bottles, cans and cartons through local return points since the scheme began,” said James Dorney, CEO of TOMRA Cleanaway, network operator for Return and Earn.   

“These improvements to local return points will make it even easier and quicker to return your eligible bottles and cans and pocket the refund.”  

Locals can also choose to donate their refund to one of over 300 donation partners listed on the Return and Earn app or support the current state-wide donation appeal for Little Wings, a free flight and ground transport service for seriously ill or injured children and their families based in rural or regional NSW.

Return and Earn has become a key fundraising channel for many charities and community groups in NSW. Over $62 million has been raised from donations and fees from hosting return points since the scheme launched in 2017.   

More than 12 billion drink containers have been returned for recycling through the network of over 640 return points across NSW since Return and Earn began, resulting in over $1.2 billion in container refunds back in people’s pockets.   

“I encourage everyone in the region to continue to make Return and Earn a part of your routine. Together, we are all contributing to a more sustainable future, where the materials that our bottles, cans and cartons are made of are kept in use and out of landfill.” Mr. Dorney said.

For more information on Return and Earn visit: www.returnandearn.org.au      


Key Facts:

Return and Earn has launched an innovative “takes-all” trial set to transform how Bathurst residents recycle eligible drink containers.  

Local machines have been upgraded and can accept all eligible containers in any single chute. This new technology has removed the need to pre-sort containers making it faster to return and earn the 10c refund for every container.  

The following Return and Earn machines have been upgraded:   

  • Service NSW Return and Earn machine located at 2 Bradwardine Rd, Robin Hill. Open daily from 7:00am to 10:00pm. 
  • OpShop Kelso Return and Earn machine located at 8 Lions Club Drive, Kelso. Open daily from 7:00am to 10:00pm.

Contact details:

Denne Dempsey 0474 313 310 

E: [email protected] 

 

Media

More from this category

  • Environment, Government Federal
  • 27/03/2026
  • 16:04
NALSPA

Coalition’s call to scrap Electric Car Discount during fuel crisis doesn’t make sense

Australia’s peak body for novated leasing said the Coalition’s call to scrap the Electric Car Discount during a fuel crisis makes no sense.The Coalition wants to end the EV discount, which is helping Australians avoid petrol and its price shocks for good, in order to fund a short three-month halving ofthe fuel excise.“Any proposal to cut or reduce the EV Discount during the middle of a fuel crisis is irrational,” National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA) CEO Rohan Martin said.“It makes no sense to cut a policy that is helping Australians avoid petrol forever purely to fund a…

  • Agriculture Farming Rural, Environment
  • 27/03/2026
  • 10:31
Charles Darwin University

Green thumbs up: Project combines YouTube and AI to boost biosecurity

Gardening videos attract millions of views on YouTube each year, but an innovative research project has showed how this content could be critical in protecting Australia’s biosecurity. The project by Charles Darwin University (CDU), supported through the Northern Australia Biosecurity Strategy, combined YouTube gardening content and OpenAI to map urban green spaces and detect previously unregistered community gardens across northern Australia. Researchers fed a dataset of YouTube content into detailed large language model (LLM) prompts. The prompts classified whether a video related to community gardens and extracted the name of the garden, its address and a summary of the clip.…

  • Environment
  • 27/03/2026
  • 10:27
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

PERILYA’S SOUTHERN OPERATIONS MINE ON NOTICE FOR DUST POLLUTION

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined Perilya Broken Hill Ltd $30,000 for failing to properly manage dust pollution at its Southern Operations lead, zinc and copper mine in central Broken Hill. The penalty was issued after a routine inspection of the premises in November 2025, where EPA officers observed visible dust pollution across multiple areas of the site. Officers also noticed no dust suppression measures were operating at the time, despite dry and windy conditions. NSW EPA Director Operations Scott Kidd said the EPA maintains strong regulatory oversight of mining operations along Broken Hill’s ‘Line of Lode’, one…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.