City Return and Earn

What City Return and Earn does

City Return and Earn Pty Ltd is a private Australian recycling services company operating under the NSW Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme, headquartered in Mascot, NSW. The company collects, sorts, and processes eligible beverage containers (plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminium cans, and liquid paperboard between 150ml-3L) and issues the scheme's 10-cent per-container refund to customers via cash, bank transfer, or charity donation. Service channels include two automated depots in Mascot and Silverwater (the latter operated in partnership with Clean Vibes and opened August 2024), a home collection service using 240L bins across Metro Sydney, a bag collection service for Parramatta LGA, commercial bulk collection for businesses, and event recycling services for festivals and venues.

The underlying technology is supplied by TOMRA Cleanaway (the scheme's infrastructure partner) and consists of automated barcode scanning systems to verify container eligibility under the NSW scheme, plus singulator machines that separate containers by material stream (glass, plastic, cardboard, ineligible items) via conveyor belts. Customer accounts are managed through a Vwork online portal supporting bin ordering, collection scheduling, driver tracking, and refund monitoring. The company has processed 150.2 million+ containers cumulatively across both depots and recycles approximately 628,000 containers per week.

The business model is a transaction-fee model: City Return and Earn retains a service fee deducted from the 10-cent per-container refund paid to customers. Home collection fees include a one-time $79 setup per bin and $8 per pickup (with bulk and bag-service tiers). Commercial and event revenue is structured around per-bin setup, scheduled collection fees, and shared refund economics with event organizers. Customer segments include individual consumers (the largest volume driver through depots), commercial businesses (offices, hospitality, venues), events (festivals, sporting venues), schools, and government/councils. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or institutional investors are disclosed in available data.

Name

City Return and Earn

Legal name

City Return and Earn Pty Ltd

Website

https://cityreturnearn.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

City Return and Earn is a Sydney-based recycling services company operating two automated depots and home, commercial, and event collection services under the NSW Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme, processing eligible beverage containers for the scheme's 10-cent refund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Deposit Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Deposit Return System (DRS) / Bottle Bill Counting & Processing Centers (BPALADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recyclables Transfer & Consolidation (Single/Source-Separated) (BPALABAD), Container Rental, Delivery & Servicing (Carts/Bins) (BPALAAAG)

Keywords

• Container deposit scheme
• Beverage container recycling
• Recycling depot operations
• Bulk collection services
• Waste management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mascot

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Container Deposit Refund Processing: City Return and Earn collects eligible beverage containers (plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminium cans, liquid paperboard) from customers and processes them through the NSW Return and Earn scheme. The company receives a 10-cent refund per eligible container, which is passed back to customers minus service fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

City Return and Earn operates two automated recycling depots in Mascot and Silverwater under the NSW Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme. It collects, sorts, and processes eligible beverage containers (plastic bottles, glass bottles, aluminium cans, liquid paperboard between 150ml-3L) and issues a 10-cent refund per eligible container through cash, bank transfer, or charity donation. The company serves individual consumers via walk-in/drive-thru depot visits and home/bag collection, and commercial clients via bulk collection, event recycling, and government/education collection services.

Product overview

City Return and Earn is a recycling services provider operating under the NSW Return and Earn Container Deposit Scheme. The company offers a unified service portfolio centered on collecting, processing, and refunding eligible drink containers for a 10-cent per item rebate. Core services include depot-based Walk-ins & Drive-thrus (at Mascot and Silverwater automated depots), Home Collection (240L bin service for Metro Sydney and bag service for Parramatta LGA), Commercial Recycling, Events Recycling, and Government/Education/Institutional Recycling. All services are integrated through the NSW CDS framework where City Return and Earn collects containers, processes them at their depots using automated sorting technology, and issues refunds to customers. The Vwork customer portal enables account management, scheduling, and tracking across all service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Walk-ins & Drive-thrus (Depot Recycling Service) Depot recycling service at Mascot and Silverwater automated depots offering drive-in and walk-in experiences 7 days a week. Staff process containers using barcode scanning and singulator machines; refunds issued via cash, bank transfer, or charity donation. For individual consumers and small-volume drop-offs.
• Home Collection (240L Bin Service) Residential bin collection service supplying 240L bins to Sydney metro customers. Containers are collected from homes, processed at depots, and refunds deposited monthly to bank accounts. Customers must be 18+ to register. Set-up: $79 per bin ($69 for 10+ bins, $49 for early sign-ups); Pick Up Fee: $8 per collection; Failed Pick Up: $10; Partial Pick Up: $7.50; Contamination Fee: $7.50.
• Bag Collection Service (Parramatta LGA) Bag collection service for Parramatta LGA residents, designed for apartments or lower-volume collections. Includes 2 bags and 2 tags per set-up. Set-up: $10; Pick Up Fee: $2 per bag; Failed Pick Up: $5; Partial Pick Up: $3; Contamination Fee: $3.
• Commercial Recycling Bulk container recycling service for commercial clients providing recycling bins, regular collections, and quick container processing. Supports corporate social responsibility and container refund generation. Includes detailed reporting and transparent refund calculations. Named clients include Qantas (airport lounges), Sydney Airport, Sydney Cricket Ground, Hordern Pavilion, and Qudos Bank Arena.
• Events Recycling Comprehensive recycling services for events of all sizes with on-site sorting (via Clean Vibes), bins, collection, and container processing. Refunds generated go to event organisers. Named clients include Lost Paradise Festival (96.41 tonnes collected, 69% recyclable, $8,032.90 refund), Mardi Gras Sydney (79% waste diverted from landfill, 1.76 tonnes of containers recovered), and City of Parramatta (Parramatta Lanes, Parramatta NYE).
• Government, Education & Institutions Recycling Recycling bin supply and collection management services for government agencies, educational institutions, schools, and other organizations. Supports sustainability targets, educational programs, and student depot visits. Named client: Mascot Primary School.
• Vwork Customer Portal Online customer account management system enabling account setup, bin ordering, collection scheduling, driver tracking, and refund monitoring via mobile app across all service lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150.2 million containers recycled across both depots
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clean Vibes Pty LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Clean Vibes operates the Silverwater City Return and Earn depot as a second automated depot in NSW. Clean Vibes specializes in sustainable event waste management and partners with City Return and Earn for event recycling services, on-site sorting, and container collection. The partnership enables large-scale event recycling with professional waste management.
• KARI FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Community partnership with leading Aboriginal not-for-profit organisation. City Return and Earn donates container refunds to KARI Foundation, which has received over $120,000 through container recycling at NSW events. Partnership includes Indigenous employment opportunities at depots, Back to School program, and driving lessons for Aboriginal communities.
• Mardi Gras SydneyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent recycling partnership for Mardi Gras Sydney event, diverting 79% of waste from landfill and recovering 1.76 tonnes of containers.
• City of ParramattaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with local council for Parramatta Lanes event and Parramatta NYE celebrations, supporting community recycling initiatives.
• APM EmploymentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing employment opportunities for individuals in the community. APM Employment works with City Return and Earn to create job opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Visy: Visy is one of Australia's largest recyclers, operating materials recovery facilities, beverage container processing, and packaging manufacturing. Adjacent rather than directly competitive with depot operations, but competes for recovered-container feedstock and serves many of the same FMCG and beverage-industry customers.
• Veolia Australia & New Zealand: Veolia operates waste collection, sorting, and materials recovery services across Australia and globally. Operates commercial and council contracts that overlap with City Return and Earn's B2B recycling segment and competes for the same commercial sustainability budgets.
• Cleanaway Waste Management: Cleanaway is Australia's largest waste management company and the joint venture partner with TOMRA running much of the NSW Return and Earn network. While not a like-for-like depot operator, it is the dominant Australian incumbent in adjacent collection, transfer, and materials recovery activities that City Return and Earn competes with for commercial contracts.
• Suez Recycling & Recovery Australia: Suez provides waste and recycling services to commercial and municipal customers across Australia. Competes indirectly with City Return and Earn for commercial and council collection contracts in the greater Sydney region.
• TOMRA Collection: TOMRA Collection designs, builds, and operates reverse vending and automated deposit-return infrastructure globally, including supplying the equipment used at City Return and Earn's Silverwater depot. Also competes with the company as the network operator for many NSW R&E collection points and operates DRS depots in Norway, Germany, and other markets.

Emerging players

• Reload World: Reload World provides DRS operating software and depot/RVM management technology across Europe, including for emerging UK and EU schemes. Comparable in technology stack (eligibility verification, throughput analytics) rather than in physical depot footprint.

Others

• Container Recycling Institute: CRI is a US-based nonprofit advocating for and analysing beverage container deposit legislation and redemption rates globally. Not a competitor, but a useful industry intelligence peer whose datasets and policy work directly shape DRS operator strategies including City Return and Earn's.

Direct peers

• Return-It: Return-It operates British Columbia's Beverage Container Recycling Network under a regulated DRS, running depots and Express & Go stations that process eligible beverage containers for refunds. Highly comparable operating model to City Return and Earn, including barcode-based eligibility verification and walk-in/drive-thru redemption flows.
• Encorp Pacific: Encorp Pacific (now federally represented by Recycle BC) has long coordinated container stewardship and operated DRS-style collection networks across Canada. The operating logic (sorting, refunding, downstream sale of recovered materials) closely mirrors City Return and Earn's depot economics.

Regional players

• Re-turn: Re-turn is the not-for-profit operator of Ireland's national Deposit Return Scheme for PET and aluminium cans. Operates a hybrid depot/RVM network structurally analogous to City Return and Earn, although in a different geography and regulatory regime.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City Return and Earn