IN just two weeks, Bathurst residents have returned almost a quarter of a million items to Return and Earn sites across the city.
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On January 23, three new reverse vending machines (RVM) were switched on and since then 244,674 cans, bottles and other beverage containers have been deposited.
The RVM at Bathurst Community Op Shop in Kelso continues to be the most used, with 119,454 items returned to this site during the two-week period.
During the same time, 77,096 items have been returned to the RVM at Service NSW, with another 48,124 to the machine at Bathurst Recycling in Upfold Street at Gormans Hill.
This is in addition to the 298,293 items that were returned to the now closed machine that was at Metro Petroleum in South Bathurst.
Return and Earn gives people a 10-cent refund on selected plastic and glass bottles ranging from 150 millilitres to three litres.
Return and Earn is a NSW Government initiative to reduce the state’s litter volume by 40 per cent by 2020 and offers people a 10 cent refund on acceptable bottles and cans.
Across NSW, more than 71 million drink containers have been returned through the scheme since it commenced on December 1.
NSW Environment Protection Authority acting chair and CEO Mark Gifford said daily returns are average around 1.5 million drink containers.
Weekends continue to be the busiest times for returns, peaking at around two million a day over the weekend.
There are now more than 365 collection points up and running across NSW with more to come.
How it works?
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:
- Disbursed electronically to the consumer
- Donated to charity
- An in-store credit or cash redemption voucher from selected partners
- 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.
What’s acceptable?
The majority of containers covered under this scheme are beverage containers ranging from 150 millilitres to 3 litres. Containers can be made from:
- Aluminium
- Glass
- HDPE
- Liquid paperboard
- PET
- Steel
What’s not acceptable?
Containers that are not included in the Scheme and, therefore, do not qualify for a refund are:
- Plain milk or milk substitute containers
- Flavoured milk containers of one litre or more
- Pure fruit or vegetable juice containers of one litre or more
- Glass containers for wine and spirits
- Casks (plastic bladders in boxes) for wine and casks for water of one litre or more
- Sachets for wine of 250 millilitres or more
- Containers for cordials, or concentrated fruit and vegetable juices
- Registered health tonics
These exceptions are like those in the South Australian and Northern Territory container deposit schemes, to aid consistency.