In a new initiative, Yass Valley Council will be installing 24 Return and Earn bin baskets across Yass in an effort to improve public place recycling and to keep eligible bottles/cans out of the litter stream and landfills.
Attached to Council bins in high-traffic areas as a way of enabling visitors and locals alike to easily leave drink containers, the bottles will then be available for someone else to collect and cash in as part of the 10-cent Return and Earn scheme.
Residents or community groups are encouraged to collect the empty containers from the bin baskets to recycle at the nearby Return and Earn location outside of Woolworths for the refund.
A recent trial of the bin basket scheme found an 80 per cent reduction in the containers ending up in public bins and landfill.
Yass Valley Council CEO, Gayleen Burley, says the implementation of the bin baskets provides an “easy and practical way to prevent eligible drink containers from ending up in landfill.”
“People can simply place their empty bottles and cans in a bin basket instead of throwing them away, making them available for someone else to collect and redeem for a refund,” she says.
“Whether it’s a young person saving for something special or a local community group raising funds, this small gesture can make a real difference.
“It’s a simple way to reduce waste, keep our public spaces cleaner, and support others in the community.”
Members of the public will be able to find Return and Earn bin baskets at several key locations, including on Comur Street and at Riverbank Park, Banjo Paterson Park and Coronation Park.
Statistics show that Yass Valley residents are already considered “enthusiastic recyclers” at home, and have returned more than 31,445,982 eligible bottles, cans and cartons through local return points since the initiative began in 2017.
More than 15 billion drink containers have been returned for recycling through a network of more than 660 return points across NSW, which has resulted in more than $1.5 billion in container refunds that have returned to people’s pockets.
For more information about Yass’s Return and Earn location, visit www.returnandearn.org.au.
All bin baskets now located across the town were provided by Exchange for Change as part of their Return and Earn Bin Baskets for Councils program.
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