Children’s health transport to see windfall through return and earn program

Recycling plastic bottles will help get regional kids to hospital, as the return and earn scheme rolls out a new charity initiative.

The NSW Return and Earn recycling scheme is helping rural children get to medical care as it funnels donations into the charity carrier Little Wings.

Return and Earn regularly spotlights charity partners, who donors can nominate to put their recycling earnings towards after depositing bottles through the scheme.

Little Wings provides ground and flight transport for children in need of medical care across regional NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

Each 10c return until October 20 can be sent through to the charity, equating to a litre of fuel for the carrier after every 20 recycled bottles.

The partnership aims to raise $100,000 across the next five months which will help reduce the travel and financial burden on families in the process.

The modern NSW Return and Earn scheme was established in 2017. Picture: Christian Gilles

The Return and Earn scheme is estimated to have generated $1b in returns for donors.

Armani Dixon hails from the regional town of Gulargambone, 100km north of Dubbo in central NSW, and has relied on Little Wings since she was five years old.

A house fire left Armani with third degree burns across her body as a child. After she spent three weeks in a coma, she underwent years of progressive skin graft surgeries began.

Armani, 13, has made major progress in her treatments, which have left her pain-free and recovering.

Little Wings has been there to fly her to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead through the whole process.

She now hopes to be a nurse when she grows up, “either that or a football player”, she said.

Armani was pleased to see growing access for others to the services she had through Little Wings.

“I’m so happy … because I know what they’ve been going through,” she said.

“I’m just very grateful.”

The Dixon family live on a crop farm, and mother Shane Ah-See was critical of the gaps in health access forced on rural communities.

“We don’t get a lot of services out this way, it was hard,” Ms Ah-See said. “It was really tough.”

“It helped that Little Wings got us a driver that was driving us to the Westmead Hospital and would pick us up after our appointments … (then) fly us back home.

“That was a massive stress off our shoulders, just to get us there.”

Donations can be nominated at Return and Earn machines, or through the service’s app and automated depots. There are 13 depots statewide and 620 return points.

Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson spruiked the charity’s ability to equalise health access for children statewide.

“Every can and bottle really does matter, so together, let’s make sure that no child misses out on medical access because of postcode or circumstance,” she said. “Return and Earn has come to be an important part of the Little Wings service.”

“This campaign will have a dramatic impact on the lives of hundreds of children in 2024, and we are so grateful for the support and belief in the Little Wings mission.”

Armani Dixon with Little Wings CEO Clare Pearson, Tomra Cleanaway CEO James Dorney and NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib at a Return and Earn site. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Little Wings works in conjunction with NSW children’s hospitals and uses a crew of volunteer drivers and pilots.

Families are referred to the service by hospital staff who consider the safest means of transport based on the number of trips necessary, each patient’s medical condition and their location.

NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said Return and Earn has taken 11.4 billion bottles, cans and cartons out of circulation and into recycling.

“The Little Wings appeal is an easy way for the NSW community to support this important charity and help seriously ill children and their families,” Ms Sharpe said.

“Not only has Return and Earn put more than $1 billion back into the pockets of households across NSW, it has also supported charities and community groups to the tune of $54m.”

Return and Earn is a state government collaboration with co-ordinator Exchange for Change and TOMRA Cleanaway.

Originally published as Children’s health transport to see windfall through return and earn program