Fairfield community celebrate success of the new Wetherill Park Return and Earn depot

The Fairfield community came together on 15 April to celebrate the new Wetherill Park Return and Earn depot and its incredible start since opening in its doors in November 2023.

The large stand-alone depot is owned and operated by local business owner Gaurav Gupta and has already processed 19 million bottles, cans, and cartons in just six months.

Guests at the celebrations included State Member for Prospect, Dr Hugh McDermott, representatives of local charities fundraising through the depot, and representatives from scheme co-ordinator Exchange for Change and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway.

McDermott described the Wetherill Park dept as a local success story.

“Fairfield LGA has seen more than 330 million bottles, cans and cartons returned for recycling. This is just an amazing effort by our community and it’s thanks to sites like this that make it possible,” McDermott said.

“This site alone has seen around 19 million containers returned since November 2023, these are amazing numbers and it’s great to see the community come together with a goal to look after the environment.”

Gupta has been a supporter of Return and Earn since the scheme began in 2017. He has operated numerous over-the-counter return points through existing businesses, growing his container recycling business to the point he needed to expand to new premises.

In launching the depot, he has continued to build on his strong connections with the community, offering Return and Earn collection services for individuals, charities, sporting groups, schools, and local businesses. His support of the Fairfield community is demonstrated by his generous donations to three local charities at the event, totalling $1500.

“I am incredibly proud to expand to an automated depot in the NSW Return and Earn scheme. My team and I are excited to collaborate with and assist the local community, particularly partnering with charity organisations and schools to raise funds through this initiative,” Gupta said.

“I encourage everyone to ‘collect more and earn more’. Join the Green Team and help us protect the environment by reducing landfills. Our depot is designed for fast and hassle-free returns.”

The Wetherill Park Return and Earn depot is one of 19 return points in the City of Fairfield. The depot accepts any number of containers but is ideal for individuals or businesses returning 500 container or more at a time.

More than 11.2 billion bottles, cans and cartons have now been returned for recycling through Return and Earn’s network of 620+ return points across NSW since the scheme began in 2017, resulting in over $1 billion in refunds back in people’s pockets.

For more information on Return and Earn visit: www.returnandearn.org.au.