Pepsi and Special Australia have unveiled The Recycling Rethink, an ambitious campaign designed to boost recycling habits by offering Australians the chance to win big cash prizes when returning Pepsi bottles and cans. The initiative, launched in collaboration with TOMRA — the NSW Government’s partner operating the state’s Return and Earn reverse vending machines — will run until November 22, 2025.
For every eligible Pepsi container recycled through one of the machines, participants will not only receive the standard 10-cent refund but will also get a unique voucher offering a chance to win $50,000, $10,000, $1,000, or $100. The incentive is triggered by the barcode scanner built into the machines, which, once detecting a Pepsi product, prints an additional voucher with a QR code revealing instantly whether the recycler has won.
“This initiative started with a simple question: If you could earn more for recycling a Pepsi, wouldn’t you recycle Pepsi more?” explained Special Australia’s Alastair Flack and Mark Starmach. “The answer led to a three-year collaboration with TOMRA, Exchange for Change, and the NSW Government to make it a reality.”
Susan Press, PepsiCo ANZ’s Managing Director of Beverages, described the program as both fun and purposeful: “It’s about making recycling more enjoyable and rewarding while ensuring more plastic is reused instead of wasted. Our hope is to not only increase Pepsi container returns but to encourage higher recycling rates overall.”
The campaign is being promoted through digital channels, social media, eco-friendly bill posters, and Return and Earn’s communications platforms. Messaging is also embedded directly into the machines themselves, ensuring maximum visibility to thousands of active recyclers across New South Wales.
Caity Cowper from Special Australia added: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a paper receipt and a tiny waiting screen, but this seamless integration with Return and Earn really makes a difference.”
If the NSW pilot proves successful, Pepsi and its partners say they would like to see The Recycling Rethink expanded nationwide, amplifying its impact on recycling habits across Australia.
