The NSW Government initiative was officially launched on Friday and while it promised that 85 per cent of the proposed collection 500 sites would be ready, just 230 were completed.

The program offers the community the chance to earn a 10-cent refund on selected plastic and glass bottles.

Just two days before the official launch, Bathurst’s collection point for refunds was yet to be finalised.

But on launch day, Metro Petroleum on Bant Street in South Bathurst was announced as an over-the-counter collection point.

Store owner Raja Kallem said while the retail outlet would start accepting containers for recycling on Saturday, it was yet to receive an official collection box so they would be stored in bags.

“I’ll be receiving the container soon, hopefully within the week,” he said.

Mr Kallem said he volunteered the store to be a collection point so he could offer additional services to his customers.

He said customers were welcome to bring in any of the acceptable containers for a refund.

“I will give them cash or they can use it for an in-store purchase,” he said.

Most 150 millilitre to three litre drink containers will be accepted if they are made from: aluminium, glass, HDPE, liquid paperboard, PET and steel.

Containers should be empty, uncrushed, unbroken and have the original label attached. 

Cowra, Wellington, Dunedoo and Coonabarabran are the locations that are currently listed on the Return and Earn website for the Central West and Orana regions.

The cost of canned and bottled beer, and soft drinks increased from November 1 to cover the impacts of the scheme, with some up to 15 cents a bottle/container.

Return and Earn will be the largest litter reduction scheme introduced by the state, with the goal of reducing litter volume by 40 per cent by 2020.

For more information on the program visit www.returnandearn.org.au.

The CDS rewards consumers for returning containers, cans and bottles to designated recycling points with a 10 cent refund per eligible container. The refund can be:

Collected containers will be processed through a counting and sorting centre in Western Sydney.

They will then be recycled and sold into both domestic and export markets. Recovering these resources will create a closed loop, making a sustainable future possible.

The majority of containers covered under this scheme are beverage containers ranging from 150 millilitres to 3 litres. Containers can be made from:

Containers that are not included in the Scheme and, therefore, do not qualify for a refund are:

These exceptions are like those in the South Australian and Northern Territory container deposit schemes, to aid consistency.