Central west residents will have another reason to feel good about recycling thanks to a new partnership between Return and Earn and Buy A Bale.

Residents can donate their Return and Earn refunds to NSW farmers and rural communities currently being crippled by drought.

Return and Earn Network operator TOMRA announced the drought relief charity will become an official donation partner on Reverse Vending Machines (RVM’s) from August 27.

It will allow 10c refunds on eligible drink containers to be donated to those affected by the drought.

From August, 27 to November 25, Buy a Bale will appear as an official donation partner on all RVM screens to give recyclers another way to contribute their funds directly into the Buy a Bale relief fund.

Simply return your containers, then choose the ‘donate’ option on the RVM screen and select ‘Buy a Bale’ from the list of four charity partners.

If everyone donated just one of every 10 containers they return, we would raise up to $20,000 a day for NSW farmers

Ryan Buzzell, TOMRA CEO

The money will go towards rural NSW farmers and communities struggling to survive the harsh drought plaguing the state – providing them with much needed support like hay and other essentials to give them a fighting chance in these tough times.

But for those residents looking to donate to farmers immediately they can use a special ‘Buy a Bale’ barcode when visiting any of the 270 RVMs across the state.

The 10c per container refund will then be automatically sent to the Buy a Bale drought relief fund.

TOMRA CEO Ryan Buzzell said after seeing the harsh reality facing farmers and being inspired by the wider NSW community’s eagerness to band together, they were keen to get involved.

“With an average of two million containers being returned every day across NSW, if everyone donated just one of every 10 containers they return, we would raise up to $20,000 a day for NSW farmers,” he said

“So we’re encouraging everyone to give as generously as they can over the next four months.”

Every 200 containers returned will provide one small hay bale for farmers in need.

Plus every 1,100 containers returned will purchase a large hay bale, and every 95,000 containers returned is the equivalent of a semi-trailer load of hay.

Rural Aid CEO, Charles Alder, said even at the best of times, farmers and rural communities are faced with some of the most severe conditions, so every donation, no matter how small, can mean the difference between devastation and survival.

“All it takes is something as simple as a bale of hay or a container refund donation to serve as a reminder that the rain might have dried up but Australians’ willingness to support each other never will,” Mr Alder said.

The ‘Buy a Bale’ barcode can be found on the myTOMRA Australia Facebook page or at www.mytomra.com.au, and scanned before recycling at the front of every RVM.

Source: Western Magazine