Fernhill's Jonathan English is proving both environmentally-minded and entrepreneurial at just three years of age.
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His mother Jessica Young said her son is an avid user of the state government's 'Return and Earn' scheme.
The family started collecting late last year.
"We're beach people, and every time we go down the beach we just pick up rubbish," she said.
"One time we went down and found that many cans that we went into the 'Return and Earn' program, just to see how many we could get at the end of the month.
"Since we took him to the machine, he's been madly obsessed with picking up rubbish. Bellambi Beach is his favourite."
Miss Young laughed as she said picking up rubbish is "his favourite thing to do", and requests on a daily basis to do so.
Last month, the family gathered 850 bottles and cans, via beach collections and members of the public.
Miss Young said Jonathan put the money earned into his savings tin; he's allowed to keep a small portion to buy something he wants that week.
"We went down and saw the council there one week, and they gave him a pick-up stick, a pair of gloves and a bag," she said.
"He tells me he picks up the plastic so the whales don't eat it, and he's just mad about the beach and the sea.
"We all tell him that if he picks up the rubbish as he sees it, he's doing a good thing."