2023 a record year for Vinnies Return and Earn

2023 was the biggest year yet for the Vinnies Return and Earn program in New South Wales.

Over 122 million containers were processed through the Vinnies run depots in the container deposit scheme over the past year, bringing the total number of items processed in our Return and Earn program to nearly half a billion over the six years that the scheme has been in operation.

More than half of the Vinnies run depots all recorded their best ever weeks leading up to Christmas, with Dubbo, Nepean, Tamworth, Shoalhaven and Tweed Heads seeing a huge boost in the numbers of containers processed.

Through the Return and Earn program, anyone can bring recyclable drink containers such as plastic bottles or aluminium cans and earn a fee per item. The increase in the number of containers processed indicates that there are more people turning towards Return and Earn as an income stream.

In an interview with 9 News, our CEO, Yolanda Saiz, said that “we’ve seen lots of individuals that are actually telling us that it’s giving them that little bit of extra cash at this time when things are so tight for so many Australians.” Watch the full interview here.

Benefits of the Vinnies Return and Earn program reach further than the people who deposit containers at the depot sites. The funds received by Vinnies for operating Return and Earn, which are supplied by the government and the scheme operator TOMRA Cleanaway in the form of a handling fee, are reinvested in the community through the work of St Vincent de Paul Society NSW.

For the Vinnie’s run depots in the Return and Earn program, Vinnies currently sees around 3 million containers pass through the container deposit scheme each week. There are eight Vinnies Return and Earn depots at various locations around New South Wales, with two more scheduled to open in the first half of 2024.

Customers in Dubbo can also take advantage of additional trading hours with their local service now operating on Sundays.

Vinnies needs volunteers to help operate our container processing depots.

Volunteering for Vinnies Return and Earn is a great way to expand your skills and experience, build connections, and most importantly - make a difference.

From customer service, store person duties, forklift driving to pick-up and deliveries, we have a range of roles to suit all abilities.

To sign up or find out more, visit our website.
https://www.vinnies.org.au/nsw/get-involved/vinnies-and-the-return-and-earn-scheme