Applications have opened for the latest round of the Return and Earn bin baskets program, with NSW councils invited to apply for funding to install the recycling initiative in public spaces across the state.
According to Return and Earn, the program is designed to encourage people to leave eligible drink containers in dedicated baskets attached to public bins, allowing others, including charities and community groups, to collect them and claim the 10-cent refund through the state’s container deposit scheme.
In a news release, the organisation said more than 1,200 bin baskets and almost 60 drink container cradles were distributed to 31 NSW councils earlier this year, with installations at locations including parks, beaches and other public spaces.
Return and Earn said initial data from participating councils indicates the baskets have reduced the number of drink containers disposed of in public place bins by an average of 69 per cent, helping divert recyclable materials from landfill.
Danielle Smalley, CEO of scheme coordinator Exchange for Change, said the baskets offer a practical way for communities to support recycling while making eligible containers available for others to collect.
“These baskets provide an easy way for community members to pay it forward, by leaving their unwanted eligible drink containers for others to collect,” Smalley said.
She said the initiative builds on the broader success of the Return and Earn scheme.
“With two out of every three bottles, cans and cartons supplied into NSW currently recycled through the scheme, our Return and Earn bin baskets are an innovative new way to help keep even more containers out of landfill,” she said.
Smalley added that participating councils and local communities had responded positively to the program.
“We’ve had very positive feedback from our participating councils and the NSW community to the Return and Earn bin baskets program, and we’re looking forward to seeing even more bin baskets popping up at local parks, beaches and sporting fields,” she said.
Return and Earn said that since the scheme was introduced in 2017, more than 16 billion eligible drink containers have been returned through its network, resulting in more than $1.6 billion in refunds paid back to the community.
Applications for the Return and Earn Bin Baskets for Council Program close on 31 August 2026. The program is administered by Exchange for Change and funded by Return and Earn. Thirty-one councils participated in the first round of the initiative, with some still completing installation of their bin baskets.
