NSW FAQs

As part of the scheme, you can receive a refund for most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L. A comprehensive database of eligible containers can be found here.

The container refund scheme aims to reduce the amount of beverage container litter in the environment. Eligible containers are most commonly consumed away from home and make up most container litter in the environment.

Excluded containers are commonly consumed in the home and can still be recycled either through existing kerbside collection or drop-off services.

This includes:

• Wine sachets of more than 250ml or less than 150ml
• Any beverage container less than 150ml or more than 3L
• Any size or material type of containers for:
• Undiluted cordial
• Fruit or vegetable juice concentrate
• Registered health tonics
• Plain milk
• Flavoured milk
• Pure fruit juice
• Pure vegetable juice

Containers must be empty. You don’t have to rinse each container, but it will help you store them cleanly before returning them.

Keep the label on and don’t crush your container, so it can be accepted by a Reverse Vending Machine.

Preferably, lids should be left on beverage containers before taking them to a container refund point, but containers will be accepted either way

There are several reasons why a container refund point operator may refuse to accept your containers:

• If a person refuses to complete a declaration when asked to do so by the container refund point.
• They are contaminated (i.e. contain sand, dirt, paint, petrol, noxious substances etc.)
• The container is not recognisable as an eligible container (i.e. crushed beyond recognition or broken in the case of glass).
• The container is not eligible under the scheme.
• The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has been purchased interstate.
• The container refund point operator has reason to believe the container has already been redeemed or has been deposited from any kerbside recycling operator.

You can return your containers at over 642 return points across NSW. You can find the full list and your nearest return point here.

A Reverse Vending Machine is your high-tech option to return empty eligible containers for recycling. Simply insert your empty containers into the chute at the front of the machine. Containers will be scanned to ensure they are eligible for a refund.

When you’ve finished depositing the containers, the Reverse Vending Machine will issue the refund.

You have the choice of how to receive your refund, as an E-voucher, printed voucher, or you can donate to a charity, school, sports or community group.

Containers deposited at a container refund point will be sorted by material type and prepared for collection and transportation to a processing centre, where the materials are tightly compacted and prepared for recycling.

Containers are then sold via an online auction platform into domestic and export markets to an approved recycler where the material is recycled into new materials or back into beverage containers.

You can receive your refund as either an E-voucher or a print voucher, depending on your preference.

To claim your refund through an E-voucher, download the Return and Earn app, sign in or register an account, and then scan your barcode before returning your containers at a Reverse Vending Machine. Your refund will be issued automatically as an E-voucher. Please note that E-vouchers are only available through Reverse Vending Machines.

If you prefer a print voucher, simply return your containers at a Reverse Vending Machine and select the “Voucher” option at the end of your session.

To redeem your voucher, visit the redemption partner listed at the top of your printed voucher. Vouchers can be redeemed for cash or used as payment toward your shopping, but are not available for online purchases.

No — providing bank details is completely optional. The bank transfer feature is an additional payout option and does not replace existing choices such as E-voucher, PayPal, or Charity Donation. You can continue using any of these methods as usual.

Please note that E-vouchers are only available at return points that offer a Coles or Woolworths cash voucher.

ou can view and edit your payout preferences in the Return and Earn app. On the home screen, look for “Your active payout”, which will show your current method (e.g. PayPal, Digital Voucher, or Campaign Name). Tap this box to see all available payout methods and select your preferred option, including Bank Account for direct transfers.

If you wish to split your refund into different payout types, you’ll need to update your active payout before each session. For example, set your payout to Bank Account before returning your containers. Then, scan your barcode, return your containers, and press TRANSFER on the machine screen.

To claim your refund through PayPal, download the Return and Earn app, sign in or register, and link your PayPal account through the Payment Settings menu. When returning your containers, scan your barcode before returning containers, and your refund will be automatically sent to your PayPal account.

If you’ve already earned E-vouchers, you can send them to your PayPal account by linking PayPal under Payment Settings in the app — the transfer happens automatically.However, once your refund has been paid into PayPal, it cannot be moved back or converted into an E-voucher. To prevent accidental transfers, make sure your preferred payout method is selected in your app settings before recycling.

To receive refunds directly to your bank account, you’ll need to have online banking enabled. This is required by our service provider to securely process payments from the Return and Earn app.

If you don’t have online banking but would still like to receive digital refunds, you can either set up online banking with your provider or link your bank account to PayPal and select PayPal as your active payout method in the app.

Refunds can only be transferred to bank accounts, not to credit cards.

It’s easy to donate your refund to a charity, school, or community group. After returning your containers at a Reverse Vending Machine, select the “Donate” option at the end of your session. You’ll see a list of registered organisations — simply choose your preferred one and press “Confirm” to complete your donation.100% of your donation amount will go directly to the selected charity.

Yes. Organisations such as schools, sporting clubs, charities, or not-for-profit community groups can apply to become a TOMRA donation partner if they meet the eligibility criteria.
To apply, complete the Donation Partner Application Form on our Charity and Community page, then email the form and supporting documentation to donations.nsw@tomra.com.

If your organisation is a school, sporting club, charity, or a not-for-profit community group and you satisfy the eligibility criteria listed below, simply click here to submit your application.

a) Your organisation must fulfil at least one of the following:

b) be willing, with reasonable endeavours, to use its own networks and resources to promote awareness of its presence on the myTOMRA App to mutual advantage;

c) have been operating for at least three years;

d) be reputable and of good standing in the community;

e) not be a political party or an organisation associated with current political issues or political activism;

f) not be associated with gambling, wagering, tobacco or smoking as a primary source of their income;

g) not be associated with any illegal or criminal activity; and,

h) not be associated with any activity or publicity that could bring the Return & Earn scheme or any of its stakeholders into controversy or disrepute.

Being listed as a donation partner on the machine screen and being featured as a campaign on the Return and Earn app are two separate fundraising opportunities.

You can be listed on both — donation partners appear on the machine screen for in-person donations, while app campaigns allow users to donate through the app using their Member Number.
If you’ve already applied to become a donation partner, you’ll still need to register separately to be listed on the Return and Earn app

Yes. If your organisation is a school, sporting club, charity, or not-for-profit community group that meets the eligibility criteria, you can apply to create a dedicated fundraising campaign and be listed on the Return and Earn app.

Eligibility criteria are outlined on the Charity Onboarding and Registration webpage, along with the relevant terms and conditions. Once approved, your group will be visible to app users who can choose to donate their refunds directly to your campaign.

Return and Earn is the largest litter reduction initiative introduced in NSW, commencing on 1 December 2017.

Littering impacts all of us. It spoils our environment, costs millions of dollars to clean up, and is associated with anti-social behaviour. Drink container litter makes up 44 per cent of the volume of all litter across NSW.

Return and Earn will reduce the number of drink containers in the litter stream and help to meet the Premier’s goal of reducing the volume of litter in NSW by 40 per cent by 2020.

Through Return and Earn, you can return eligible beverage containers to a return point and earn a 10-cent refund per container.

This refund can be in the form of a voucher to redeem as cash or at a retail partner, or a digital refund, or you can donate your refund to a donation partner.