As reported by ABC News Australia, Damian Gordon never set out with a financial master plan. In 2017, he began collecting stray bottles and cans, returning them for the 10-cent refunds offered through New South Wales’ Return and Earn scheme. At first, it was more of a hobby than an investment strategy.
But over seven years, that steady routine added up. Gordon eventually recycled an estimated 450,000 containers, accumulating close to $46,000 AUD. It was money he had never quite counted on, but when the time came to make a move, it became the deposit for a modest two-bedroom shack on the Central Coast. “It just kind of piled up,” he told reporters, describing how the cans gradually became bricks and mortar.
From Festival Grounds to a Modest Home
Not all of Gordon’s collections came from sidewalks and bins. Some of his most productive hauls were at music festivals, where he volunteered for cleanup crews. At events like Lost Paradise, he not only salvaged thousands of cans and bottles but also came across camping gear, strings of fairy lights, and even unopened boxes of food. Along the way, he occasionally found himself backstage, rubbing shoulders with performers such as The Presets and Sneaky Sound System.
Damian Gordon loads up his ute, bound for a container recycling centre. Credit: Damian Gordon
That practical approach extended to his new home. Many of his furnishings were sourced from what others had discarded. The habit goes back to his childhood, when his mother would take him on trips to local tip shops. “Second-hand didn’t mean second-best,” he recalled, though he admits he is meticulous about cleaning anything before bringing it inside.
Gordon also frames the project as more than personal gain. “There’s so much waste in society, we live in such a throw-away society,” he said. Each can he returned felt like a quiet protest against that culture, whether it was at a festival ground or just on an ordinary street.
Persistence That Pays Off
According to Danielle Smalley, CEO of Exchange for Change, which coordinates the Return and Earn scheme, Gordon’s achievement is the largest individual collection they have on record. “It’s stories like that that get me bouncing out of bed every day,” she explained, emphasizing the double benefit of environmental gains and household savings.
The broader scheme has proven no less significant. By 2025, New South Wales residents had recycled more than 13 billion containers, returning $1.3 billion AUD through more than 650 return points. Gordon’s story, then, is not just a personal triumph but a window into what consistent small efforts can achieve when paired with effective public policy.
Even now, with the house secured, he has no plans to stop. Recycling, he insists, has become part of who he is. And in a housing market where many feel the deposit is out of reach, his quiet persistence offers a reminder: sometimes, change comes one can at a time.