Steve Manderson stops by the Gurwood Street kiosk every couple of months as a favour to a friend. 

“We clean up her home and get a few dollars to help her out with a few odds and ends there,” he said.

“Every now and again, I come and help her out. 

“Every two months we come and we get about $25 so it helps her out with that extra cash.”

Mr Manderson said it was a bonus to get the extra cash while also helping clean up the environment. 

Fay has been using the Return and Earn facility ever since it started.

“I come down here once a week,” she said. 

“I have got nearly a $1000 for Christmas.” 

“I come down once a week and today I dropped in about 40 bottles.” 

A spokesperson for the NSW Environment Protection Authority said Return and Earn has been a great success in its first 12 months. 

A billion containers have been collected at NSW return points and reducing eligible container litter volume by 44 per cent.

“Wagga has contributed to this success with more than 19 million containers returned in the area,” the spokesperson said. 

Woolworths Wagga has seen more than 6.6 million containers returned, while Woolworths Wagga North has seen more than 8 million bottles recycled through the kiosk. 

On Sunday, environment minister Gabrielle Upton thanked everyone who uses the scheme and said it was a great achievement in helping the environment. 

“We began the day with the expectation this would happen, and I can now confirm that the one billionth drink container was recovered at 5:50pm this afternoon,” Ms Upton said.

“Reaching the one billion drink container mark on the first anniversary of Return and Earn shows that the people of NSW back it in, and are now recycling more drink containers than they are throwing away.

“You are voting with your drink containers, and every one counts when it comes to saving the environment.” 

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