When the NSW Liberal Government introduced the Return and Earn scheme in 2017, the goal was simple: reduce waste and encourage recycling. It was supposed to be an environmental initiative, a small incentive to keep streets clean—not a program people depend on to make ends meet.
Yet here we are in 2025, and Labor is gloating about record numbers of cans and bottles being returned. They’re calling it a “huge success.” But let’s ask the obvious question: why are so many people relying on this scheme now?
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