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Published on 23 February 2026
Bathurst Regional Council has commenced installation of 38 Return and Earn bin baskets on public bins to improve public place recycling across the region and keep eligible bottles and cans out of the litter stream and our landfills.
Bin baskets are being attached to council bins in high-traffic areas within the CBD and in parks and green spaces across town to enable people to leave their drink containers for someone else to collect. Residents or community groups can then easily collect the containers from the bin baskets to recycle at one of the Bathurst Return and Earn depots for a 10c refund.
Mayor Cr Robert Taylor noted the bin baskets are a simple solution to keep recyclable drink containers out of landfill, bettering our local Bathurst environment.
“Anyone out and about can now just leave their empty bottle or can in one of the bin baskets for someone else to collect. This simple act gives others the chance to claim the refund, whether it’s a child collecting for extra pocket money or a local group to collect as part of their fundraising. It keeps our local environment clean while helping our community,” said Mayor Taylor.
A recent trial of the simple but innovative solution by Return and Earn scheme coordinator ‘Exchange for Change’ found the bin baskets were effective at reducing drink containers going into the public bins and landfill by up to 80 per cent.
In fact, Bathurst residents are already enthusiastic recyclers at home, having returned upwards of 145 million eligible bottles, cans and cartons through local return points since Return and Earn began in 2017.
More than 15 billion drink containers have been returned for recycling through the network of 660+ return points across NSW, resulting in greater than $1.5 billion in container refunds back in people’s pockets.
There are currently three return points in the Bathurst LGA for residents to recycle their containers. Visit www.returnandearn.org.au to find your nearest location.
Bathurst’s bin baskets were provided by Exchange for Change as part of its ‘Return and Earn Bin Baskets for Councils’ program.
Media contact: Genevieve Green Media and Communications Officer
P: 02 6333 6179 M: 0448 685 340 E: genevieve.green@bathurst.nsw.gov.au