Refunds and rubbish dumping. It’s the good and bad talking points of the NSW Government’s Return and Earn machines in Old Bar, Taree and Wingham.
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Weekly thousands of people visit Club Taree, Old Bar Tavern, Taree Leagues Club and Wingham Services Club to deposit cans and bottles into NSW Government reverse vending machines.
The reward for effort is 10 cents per item and since all sites started operation, collectively the machines have processed almost nine million bottles and cans – 8,827,957 items.
It’s a remarkable result considering Old Bar Tavern and Wingham Services Club began operation in March 2018, with Club Taree and Taree Leagues Club sites becoming operational in May 2018, according to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA).
Each site has broken the two million mark, with Club Taree topping the list with 2,300,630, followed by Taree Leagues Club at 2,216,250, Wingham Services Club at 2,214,324 and Old Bar Tavern 2,096,753.
Club Taree brand and communications manager Paul Allan is “surprised by the usage figures and pleased so many locals have taken on the return and earn initiative.”
NSW EPA reveals Monday, December 31 as the busiest day at the Club Taree reverse vending machine with people depositing 108,355 items.
However, growing awareness of the scheme and increasing use by residents in the Manning Valley frequently sees machines inoperable because they are full – the machine screen reading, “Assistance required. Please wait or contact customer hotline. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
“The machines are cleared daily and at high volume sites, often several times a day,” according to the NSW EPA.
It is a problem that sees people in the Manning Valley choosing to drive between sites with the hope of being able to empty bags and boxes full of cans and bottles.
Richard Blunt visits the reverse vending machines in Taree. He likes a beer and is happy to be able to recycle, get a refund or choose to donate to a charity.
He selects a refund voucher for his cans and donates the refund for glass and plastic bottles to a “charity that helps the farmers out because they are struggling, and you’ve got to look after your own backyard.”
He is supportive of the scheme, knows it is becoming increasingly popular in the community, but is concerned and disappointed at the amount of rubbish being dumped.
He now prefers to visit the Club Taree reverse vending machine, “because it is not as disgusting as the leagues club. It always has rubbish out the front, it is terrible.”
“There are always the bad people that ruin it for the good people.”
He also knows the frustration of being unable to deposit cans and bottles.
“The other day it was full, it was a bit of a downfall because a lot of people turned up and they had to go. They said the other one (in Taree) was full and the one at Wingham was full! So they were all full!
“We waited for a bit because they said there was a truck coming to empty them, but I waited for about half an hour, and then left and tried again the next day.
“Despite that I reckon it’s a great service, and if they can sort out the rubbish problem and make sure the containers are empty, it will be great.”
Site cleanliness and rubbish removal is not the responsibility of the clubs, as it is tasked to TOMRA Cleanaway, according to the NSW EPA.
“TOMRA Cleanaway provides bins next to each reverse vending machine and attends to and cleans sites daily … and at high volume sites often several times a day.”
However, the increasing incidence of rubbish dumping and its impact on the entrance to Club Taree is requiring the club to direct staff to clean the site.
“Sometimes our team cleans the site a number of times a day between scheduled contract cleans,” Mr Allan said.
“The dumping of rubbish associated with using the reverse vending machine is an obvious problem, we would encourage users to take their rubbish with them as much as practical and dispose of their rubbish thoughtfully.
It’s important for people to understand that this facility is not a public rubbish disposal area, rather the bins are provided for the convenience of users for the disposal of small amounts of associated rubbish such as bags and bottle tops.
- Paul Allan
Mr Allan said the most common rubbish items dumped near the machines are boxes, plastic bags, tubs, crates, shopping trolleys, incompatible bottles and containers.
The Taree Leagues Club site is frequently the focus of severe rubbish dumping and on Sunday, January 6 TOMRA Cleanaway had to visit at 9am and noon to clean the site.
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