Michael Brown, 23, from Yuendumu, NT, shares about his incredible initiative recycling bottles in the outback…
My Troop Carrier raced across the desert as I edged towards 130km/h.
It was July 2025 and I’d moved to the rural community of Yuendumu, NT for my job as a youth worker.
I regularly made the 300km journey to Alice Springs for groceries and supplies.
Cruising into town, I noticed the recycling centre.
The Container Deposit Scheme paid 10 cents for every aluminium can and glass or plastic bottle collected.
I pictured all the containers I’d seen strewn around Yuendumu.
Out there, access to waste facilities and education around waste management was almost non-existent.
Read more: 5 recycling tips to make a difference at home
The extra cash would be nice, I thought. And it’d give me something to do on the weekend!
That Saturday afternoon, I grabbed a bunch of plastic bags and strolled to the local oval.
Bottles and cans were spewing out of the few bins provided and more had just been thrown on the ground.
Crouching down, I picked up a container, and another, and another.
A young boy approached.
“What’re you doing?” he asked.
“Recycling,” I replied.
I explained how bottles could be transformed into other products, rather than spoiling the landscape.
Soon I had a crowd of boys following me around the oval, watching curiously.
I continued for another two hours, filling up bags around town.
Next day, I kept going, and by the afternoon, I’d completely filled my Troopy.
Can’t even see out the back, I laughed, as I started the long drive to Alice.
At the recycling centre, I poured the cans and bottles into the giant recycling vat.
“That’s a total of 1500 containers,” the assistant told me.
“$150! Nice,” I laughed – it had cost me $300 in diesel to get there.
But despite coming in at a loss, I’d had a great time helping tidy up my town.
After that, whenever I had a spare minute, I’d go collecting in another corner of Yuendumu.
Once the Troopy was full, I’d make the trip back to Alice.
I started posting my new hobby on social media.
“G’day legends,” I began each video.
Before long, I’d gained thousands of followers supporting my new venture.
I used the cash from recycling to buy juice boxes for the kids in Yuendumu.
It was a great way to spark conversations with them about waste, where it goes, and the benefits of recycling.
People started honking their horns when they saw me out collecting.
“G’day legend!” they’d yell.
Locals even began searching for me with their used bottles and cans.
Recently, Clean Up Australia reached out and donated gloves and bags to support my work.
I’ve now recycled over 25,000 containers, and every cent has been put back into the project.
Yuendumu is certainly a lot neater since I started picking up rubbish.
Locals thank me for keeping the town tidy and many of them are getting involved which is great to see.
For me, it’s not about the money – I don’t make any!
It’s about getting out in the community and bringing smiles to their faces, one bottle at a time.
Follow Michael on YouTube @theoutbackrecycler
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