Children’s Medical Research Institute at Westmead is thrilled to announce it is the featured charity partner of Return and Earn – aiming to raise $200,000 through containers to fund cures for children’s genetic conditions.

Return and Earn has become just as much a household name as Children Medical Research Institute’s iconic fundraising campaign, Jeans for Genes, and allows everyday Australians not just to recycle, but also to give back to the community at no cost.

From October 2025 through to April 2026, 10 cents for every returned can and bottle can be donated to Children’s Medical Research Institute at a Return and Earn machine.

Children’s Medical Research Institute Director Professor Roger Reddel said that for more than 30 years the Australian community has funded life-saving research through a gold coin donation on Jeans for Genes Day, and now they can fund research with bottles and cans.

“Our scientists are always striving to innovate and change the lives of children, and we are incredibly grateful to be part of this impactful program that allows everyday Australians to fund our research, by simply donating their recycling to our cause,’’ Prof Reddel said.

Seven-year-old Alessia, who was born with a serious genetic condition, is the face of the Children’s Medical Research Institute and Return and Earn partnership. Until a few years ago, children with her condition mostly did not survive until their second birthday, but today Alessia is alive and well thanks to research.

Alessia’s father Adam urged everyone to donate their containers so more children could receive cures.

“Without research we wouldn’t have Alessia – but there are more than 6000 genetic diseases and most of them don’t have any effective treatment options yet, so we all need to do what we can to support research. The spare change you collect through Return and Earn can add up when whole communities get onboard and make a huge difference in the lives of children like our daughter.”

Return and Earn is a partnership of the NSW Government, scheme coordinator Exchange for Change, and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway. Since it started in 2017, more than 14 billion containers have been returned.

So far, thousands of generous NSW residents have raised an astounding $82 million for charities. Starting in October, people will be able to turn their containers into cures for children with genetic conditions.