Return and Earn machines can now direct the 10c refunds to charity Rural Aid and its Buy A Bale campaign through a special barcode that is available on social media and online.

The barcode has to be scanned and taken to the machine to be used, but from August 27 it will appear as a donation option on the 270 Reverse Vending Machines across NSW. 

Click here for a copy of the NSW Drought Petition

Read more: many ways to help drought-stricken farmers 

Want to know more? Access our The Big Dry online portal here

Return and Earn Network operator TOMRA announced the venture earlier this week. 

But that isn’t the only development. 

Woolworths has put its hand in its pocket again – after donating $1.5 million to Rural Aid’s Buy A Bale program last weekend – to give $10,000 a day for five days to Rural Aid through Channel 7 morning show Sunrise.

It comes after tens of thousands of people lobbied the show to donate it’s $10,000 Cash Cow prize to a drought-stricken farmer every day for a month. 

Shoppers can also donate to Rural Aid’s Buy A Bale program at any Woolworths checkout. 

But wait, there’s more.

The Commonwealth Bank has dropped $250,000 into Rural Aid’s bank account – which is equivalent to about 2200 bales of hay. 

Dominoes pizza has donated $40,000 to Rural Aid and will donate 50 cents from every pizza sold in Australia on August 8 between 4pm and 9pm to Rural Aid. 

“The money that is flowing in will buy more hay and help farmers with other things like water, groceries and fencing materials,” Rural Aid CEO Charles Alder said.