Return and Earn is the NSW container deposit scheme: bring an eligible drink container carrying the 10c refund mark to one of the state's 660+ return points and get 10 cents back. Since it launched in December 2017, the scheme has recycled 14 billion containers, cut drink container litter in NSW by 73%, and returned more than $1.4 billion straight into people's pockets. It's set to expand to wine and spirit bottles too by late-2027, more on that below.
Last updated: August 2026.
How the Return & Earn Scheme Works
Three organisations run the scheme between them. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is the overall regulator: it requires any business that sells drinks in eligible containers, or gives them away as part of a promotion, to enter a supply agreement and register those containers. Exchange for Change is the scheme coordinator, managing suppliers and the scheme's funding. TOMRA Cleanaway is the network operator, responsible for setting up return points and making sure everything collected gets recycled.
The 10 cents isn't extra money from nowhere: it's built into the price as a deposit when you buy an eligible drink, and beverage suppliers fund the scheme, refunds included. Bring the empty container back to a return point and you get that same 10 cents refunded to you.
There are four types of return point, and which one suits you depends on how many containers you're bringing:
| Return point | Best for | How it works | Refund options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine | Up to 500 containers | Self-serve | Voucher, bank transfer, PayPal, donate |
| Over-the-counter | Up to 100 containers | Staffed | Cash |
| Centre | 500+ containers | Self-serve | Voucher, bank transfer, PayPal, donate |
| Depot | Any amount | Staffed | Cash; electronic transfer, PayPal or donate via bag-drop service* |
*At Depots, electronic transfer, PayPal and donate are only available when using the tag-and-drop bag-drop service.
Timing matters too, not just container count. A Machine is easiest to use on a weekly shop. An over-the-counter site suits a quick drop while you're already at the shops. A Centre or a Depot both fit naturally into a school, work or weekend trip.
Donating isn't a separate point type, it's a payout option: it's available at Machine, Centre and Depot points, but not over-the-counter. Set it in the Return and Earn app and your refund goes straight to your chosen charity. You'll be refunded 10 cents for every eligible drink container you bring.
Benefits Achieved Through Return & Earn
A litter-reduction program that's actually worked. Since Return and Earn launched, drink-container litter in NSW is down 73%. Two out of every three eligible containers supplied into NSW now come back through the scheme, and more than 40 million containers a week are being returned through the network.
It pays. As of the scheme's August 2025 milestone update, Return and Earn had paid out more than $1.4 billion in container refunds, and raised over $82 million for charities and community groups through donations and return-point hosting fees. 83% of NSW adults have used it, most on a monthly basis.
What Happens to Your Containers After You Return Them
Returned containers don't sit around, they go straight back into new products. Glass bottles are recycled into new bottles and jars in as little as 30 days. Plastic soft drink and water bottles are back on shelves in six to eight weeks. Even the lids get a second life, recycled into things like flowerpots and bin lids. Aluminium and PET plastic are the two most common container types moving through the network: in the six months to the scheme's August 2025 milestone report, return points recycled more than 513 million aluminium containers and 358 million PET containers.
The flow-on effect is measurable. Recycling 14 billion containers instead of manufacturing new ones from virgin materials has saved enough water to fill 32,840 Olympic swimming pools, enough energy to power 191,100 homes for a year, and cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 1,017,400 cars off the road annually.
Types of Items The Return & Earn Scheme Accepts
Look for the 10c refund mark on the label, usually near the barcode. Most aluminium, glass, plastic and carton drink containers between 150mL and 3 litres carrying that mark are eligible for a 10c refund. The container needs to be empty, unbroken, uncrushed, and have a visible barcode.
Types of Items The Return & Earn Scheme Do Not Accept
A few types of drink container are not currently eligible for a refund and should be recycled in your household bin instead:
- Containers under 150mL
- Containers over 3L
- Wine bottles
- Spirit bottles
- Plain milk bottles and cartons (including alternative milk)
- Cordial bottles
- Health tonics
- Pure juice bottles over 1L (comprised of 90% pure juice)
- Water and wine casks or sachets
Wine and Spirit Bottles Are Coming to Return and Earn
Right now, wine and spirit bottles don't earn a refund through Return and Earn, you'll still need to put those in your household bin instead. That's about to change. In a joint announcement with South Australia (3 September 2025), the NSW and SA governments confirmed both states' container deposit schemes will expand to accept wine and spirit glass bottles, cordial and juice-concentrate containers, and larger containers up to 3 litres of drinks already in the scheme. Plain milk and health tonic containers stay excluded.
Across both states, the expansion is expected to bring nearly half a billion extra containers into the two schemes each year. In NSW alone, Environment Minister Penny Sharpe estimates it will keep at least 27,000 tonnes of material out of landfill annually.
The changes won't happen overnight. NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe has said the aim is for return systems to be ready to handle the new containers by mid-2027, while the announcement itself puts the states' target for enacting the changes at late-2027. Until then, keep recycling wine and spirit bottles through your kerbside bin.
Queensland has already added glass wine and spirit bottles to its own scheme, and Western Australia and the Northern Territory have both committed to expanding theirs too.
How Do You Get Paid for Participating in Return and Earn
Every eligible carton, bottle or can is worth 10 cents. You can choose how you get paid, and the options depend on which type of return point you use:
- Print voucher: available at Machines and Centres. Deposit your containers, select "voucher" on screen, and it prints instantly, valid for three years. Spend it directly or exchange it for cash at the retail partner named on the voucher.
- Digital voucher: available at Machines and Centres. Set your payout to "digital voucher" in the Return and Earn app, scan your app barcode, and it lands in your app within three business days.
- Bank transfer or PayPal: available at Machines, Centres and Depots. Set it in the app and your refund arrives within three business days.
- Cash: available at most Depots and over-the-counter points, on the spot.
- Donate: available at Machines, Centres and Depots. Set your payout to "donate" in the app and choose the major fundraising appeal or one of 300+ donation partners.
No cut is taken: 100 per cent of your refund reaches your chosen charity when you set your payout to donate. Past donation partnerships run through the scheme have included Foodbank NSW & ACT, Little Wings (which supports seriously ill children), and the RFS Benevolent Fund.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I return for a refund? Most aluminium, glass, plastic and carton drink containers between 150mL and 3 litres with a 10c refund mark, think water, soft drink, beer, juice and energy drink containers.
What can't I return? Containers under 150mL or over 3L, wine bottles, spirit bottles, plain milk bottles and cartons (including alternative milk), cordial bottles, health tonics, pure juice bottles over 1L (comprised of 90% pure juice), or water and wine casks or sachets. These go in your household bin instead.
When will wine bottles be accepted by Return and Earn? Not yet, but it's coming. NSW and SA have confirmed wine and spirit bottles will be added to the scheme, with return systems targeted to be ready by mid-2027.
How much do I get per container? 10 cents for every eligible container.
What condition do my containers need to be in? Uncrushed, not broken, empty, with the barcode visible and lids on where possible.
Can I donate my refund instead of keeping it? Yes, set your payout to "donate" in the Return and Earn app and choose the major fundraising appeal or one of 300+ donation partners.
Doing a bigger clean-out? If the bottles and cans piling up are only part of what needs to go, and cashing in a dozen containers one by one isn't worth the trip, a full house clearance or household rubbish removal handles it for you, glass, cans, and everything else you're clearing out.
Final Thoughts
The NSW Return and Earn scheme has delivered on its promise: less litter, real money back in people's pockets, and more than $82 million raised for charity. And it's only expanding from here, with wine and spirit bottles set to join the scheme by late-2027.
