The Carillon upgrade was added as one of the donation options for the city’s Return and Earn reverse vending machines about a week ago and Cr Morse, who is part of the fundraising committee for the upgrade, hopes that option proves popular.

The Carillon will remain one of the donation options (an alternative to receiving a voucher when locals take their bottles and cans to the machines) until February.

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The Kings Parade icon recently had its top octave of bells replaced and a brand new higher octave of bells installed and the final stage of the upgrade, Cr Morse said, will be to install a clavier - a wooden keyboard that plays the bells.

She hopes the clavier can be installed by the end of next year, but said it can’t be guaranteed.

“It takes a long time to make these keyboards and a long time to install them,” Cr Morse said.

The fundraising committee will put on a sausage sizzle at the Bathurst Community Op Shop on Saturday, January 5 and will encourage locals to bring down their bottles and cans to contribute to the Carillon upgrade.

“We will put them through [the Op Shop’s Return and Earn machine],” Cr Morse said.