The new coastal sites are being launched as a result of a new partnership between Surf Life Saving NSW and Envirobank, and will be rolled out from Monday, January 22.

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Forster Surf Life Saving Club president John Quinn said while the plans weren’t finalised yet, the club hoped they would be soon.

“We will hopefully be getting a station, it will be a sort of metal cage for plastic bottles and such, it won’t be for glass,” he said.

“We do still need to get approval from council, so it might not be up and running for a little while, but hopefully soon.”

Community members will be able to take eligible drink containers within the scheme to the participating clubs and donate the 10-cent per container proceeds to Surf Life Saving NSW.

It is expected that more of the 129 Surf Life Saving Clubs in NSW will become donation sites throughout 2018.

Environment minister Gabrielle Upton MP applauded the collaboration with Envirobank Recycling and highlighted the Surf Life Saving donation sites as a smart way charities can benefit from the scheme.  

“Return and earn is a win for the environment and an opportunity for charities and community groups to also benefit,” Minister Upton said.

“Not only do surf club donation sites’ enable people to help one of the state’s largest volunteer community organisations, they also provide additional and convenient drink container collection points for everyone.”

The CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, Steven Pearce said the program and partnership with Envirobank Recycling had provided an entirely new way for club and community members to raise funds for the vital services provided by volunteer surf lifesavers.

“For every drink container donated by a member of the public, eight cents goes directly to the local surf club where the containers are deposited,” Mr Pearce said.

“The remaining two cents will be used by Surf Life Saving NSW to fund community education programs, help train lifesavers and provide vital lifesaving and rescue equipment to our clubs.

“We see first-hand the effects of rubbish and pollution on our beautiful beaches and waterways.

“Working with Envirobank we’re proud to help protect our environment, while offering the potential to deliver surf life saving clubs some much-needed funds.

“Thanks to the generosity of our members and the community, if we capture just a fraction of the estimated 1.6 billion drink containers to be recycled over the next 20 years through the scheme, I have no doubt it has the potential to become a long-term source of fundraising.”

According to the managing director and founder of Envirobank Recycling, Narelle Anderson, in other states where container deposit schemes are already operational, charitable donations comprise the major component of the public’s reimbursements.

“Envirobank has been a long-term network operator in the NT scheme, and it’s evident the program is much more than a litter collection initiative,” Ms Anderson said.

“With the right partnerships in place the scheme has the potential to raise substantial funds for many charities that deliver the vital services we need in our communities.”