Latest news with #DamianGordon
Extra.ie
28-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Recycling paid off: Man buys his dream home with bottle return cash
The Deposit Return Scheme can be a bit of a nuisance, but what if we told you it was possible to buy a home out of your earnings? Damian Gordon, 36, from New South Wales, Australia was able his two-bedroom house after seven years of saving his money earning from a similar initiative in Australia. The new homeowner began to take recycling seriously when he noticed so much rubbish on the beach during his walks. The Deposit Return Scheme can be a bit of a nuisance, but what if I told you it was possible to buy a house out of your earnings? Pic: Sam Boal/ Sharing his story on That's Life, he admitted he found it 'impossible to ignore' and was spurred on my the Return and Earn scheme in his area. The scheme paid out 10c for every can returned, as well as glass bottles and plastic containers. Damian recalled how he made it his mission to collect rubbish during his walks and then had the idea of going to festival grounds after the events to collect empties. Damian recalled how he made it his mission to collect rubbish during his walks and then had the idea of going to festival grounds after the events to collect empties. Pic: Shutterstock One 2017 festival saw Damian and other volunteers collecting 40,000 recyclable containers, resulting is an earning of $4,000 (€2,273). Realising he was making money from the scheme, Damian sought out to use the earnings for a house deposite and managed to save $20,000 (€11,369) within the first three years. Damian revealed the sum of earnings 'spurred' him on to continue with his endeavour. Damian has since bought his very own house with the savings from recycling along with a little bit extra. Pic: Shutterstock Last January marked seven years since Damian began his savings fund, earning $45,000 (€25,000) from it. Damian has since bought his very own house with the savings from recycling along with a little bit extra. He has been able to find other treasures out and about for his home such as a fridge, microwave and a juicer. The new homeowner has confirmed he doesn't plan on stopping collecting containers any time soon, noting mortgage repayments are 'coming hard and fast.' He told the publication he is now 'paying off my dream home, one bottle at a time.'
Irish Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Daily Mirror
Australian man buys two-bedroom home with money from local bottle return scheme
An Australian man managed to purchase a two-bedroom house using the money he got from a bottle return scheme. Damian Gordon, a 36-year-old living in New South Wales, Australia, shared that when he would take long walks on the beach, he would come across tonnes of rubbish lying everywhere. He found it 'impossible to ignore all the rubbish' that was 'scattered across the shoreline' and that he was 'casually aware' of the area's Return and Earn scheme, RSVP Live reports. It offered ten cents for every can collected and returned, with glass bottles and plastic containers also accepted. He told That's Life: 'Returning to the beach as often as I could, I made it my mission to collect the rubbish during my walk.' Damian would visit the ground of music festivals as 'crowds left mountains of empties behind'. Along with other volunteers, Damian separated 40,000 recyclable containers from other rubbish following a 2017 festival. He admitted that he was 'amazed to walk away with a whopping $4,000' after one event. It gave him the idea to start collecting enough recyclable containers for a house deposit. Within three years Damian had saved $20,000. January 2024 was the seven-year anniversary of Damian's recycling collections, with him earning $45,000 from it. Along with some other savings, he managed to gather enough for a deposit for a two-bedroom home. He took his recycling efforts one step further and found 'treasures' from curbs to furnish him home. This included a microwave, fridge, a bed frame and even a juicer. Damian added: 'With mortgage repayments coming hard and fast, I don't plan to stop collecting any time soon. Now I'm paying off my dream home, one bottle at a time.'
