Anthony Morrissey and his team had been looking forward to the commencement of Return and Earn scheme in NSW. “We were approved to become part of the scheme,” the 44-year-old father of two told SBS. “And unfortunately, the week before the scheme started, I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease.”
The news about the diagnosis came as a shock to Anthony as he was about to start a new phase of his business. Rather putting a pause on it, he decided to move forward. He says it was, “able to take away the focus from negativity in my life and start to look at this as an opportunity to engage more with the community.’”
Commenced in December 2017, the Return and Earn scheme is aimed towards reducing litter in the environment. With the container deposit scheme popular in South Australia for decades, the return to a similar program in NSW enables consumers to return eligible drink containers to return points and depot such as Anthony’s Red Frog Recycling and earn 10c per container. The state government initiative funded by contributions from the beverage industry.
The scheme has so far collected four billion containers through its 600+ return points across NSW.
Source: Jordan Osborne
According to Anthony, the program has brought a change in people’s attitude towards recycling and reducing waste in general. “People want to make a choice to recycle. And then the discussion goes from the Return and Earn scheme to your recycling bin at home, then it goes further on whether you leave a light on or off.”
But for Anthony, it’s much more than that. Over the past three years they’ve facilitated about $400,000 in charity donation. And through their school program, they’ve raised about $700,000 for different charities – just through empty bottles and cans. “That's not us doing the work, we just facilitate it. But it's the community embracing the Return and Earn scheme.”
“I think people are sick and tired of donut days and chocolate boxes... So if you've got 1000 kids at a school, and everyone on a Friday is bringing five containers, it's five cans, which is not a large amount per student but as a collective that's $500 a week in fundraising.”
Anthony says he likes working with local charities because some of the charities are least known and don’t necessarily get the attention and funding they need. “I love the fact that... we've been able to help so many local organisations, whether it be a cricket club, your soccer club, a local charity, you may have a family that every Friday, they go out at night, take that 100 or 200 meals and they feed a particular group of people that are struggling.”
Healthwise, Anthony says he is doing much better now. Using his business to work the community and with charities, he wants to make the most of this “second opportunity” he’s been given.
“Think I will do this until the day someone puts the last nail in the pine box.”
