Daniel Maddox buys a car with returned drink containers

7NEWS Australia reports how a Yeronga great-grandfather turned container refunds into household bills paid and a second-hand Mazda.

Channel: 7NEWS Australia Story of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of 7NEWS Australia's most watched videos since yesterday, with 70,097 views.

Great-grandfather used containers to buy a car

Every returned can or bottle brings a small refund. For Daniel Maddox, those refunds have added up to a replacement car, everyday expenses covered and lunches with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Yeronga great-grandfather began collecting drink containers after losing his ute in the 2022 floods, according to 7NEWS Australia's report. He has since bought a second-hand Mazda 3 with the proceeds.

Reporter Samantha Heathwood introduces Maddox as a "super collector" for Containers for Change, the refund scheme that pays for eligible drink containers. His account of what the money covers is remarkably practical: electricity, gas, registration, insurance, tyres and petrol.

The short report drew roughly 70,000 views since yesterday, making it the channel's most-watched new video over that period. Some viewers describe their own collecting habits, including saving towards a cruise and handing bags of bottles to people gathering containers.

For Maddox, the reward includes being able to spend on his family. "I have no worries, I'm able to take me grandkids and great-grandkids out for lunch," he says.

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More from 7NEWS AustraliaWorld news 25K views since yesterdayDavid Jones closures include Robina and Sunshine PlazaThe Queensland bulletin also covers Logan's destructive supercell, Remembrance Day services and David Walliams's denial of misconduct allegations.Channel: 7NEWS Australia · Story of November 12, 2026 Also in News networks and broadcastersVideo taking off 16x its usual first dayThe National pairs Hegseth's "farce" with a WWII care package found in an atticAdrienne Arsenault's full edition runs from a failed House vote to a Silver Cross Mother and a son who found his father through DNA.Channel: CBC News: The National · Story of November 12, 2026 A different discovery todayVideo taking off 23x its usual first dayJimmy Kimmel takes on Hegseth's "doozy" of a press conferenceThe monologue moves from a Thomas Massie impeachment filing to Trump phoning C-SPAN, then closes with a parody trailer for Melania: The Series.Channel: Jimmy Kimmel Live · Story of November 12, 2026

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The numbers

The container-collecting report drew the largest audience since yesterday among 7NEWS Australia's new uploads.

subscribers

2,270,000

no significant change in the last 7 days

total views

1,714,085,736

views per day

1,812,021

typical day: 2,619,709

the video

views

70,097

likes

1,779

comments

171

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

ITV News

2,280,000

7NEWS Australia

2,270,000

BBC World Service

2,270,000

CBC News: The National

2,210,000

GBNews

2,200,000

AccuWeather

2,190,000

As of November 12, 2026 · Data source: Trari Social News, Trari Traffic Trends and Ranking Platform, Google YouTube

Subscriber, view, like and comment counts are YouTube's. Rates, usual days, rankings, comparisons and categories are Trari's own calculations.