In December 2017 NSW implemented a Return & Earn scheme, you get 10c back for every accepted container you return. It鈥檚 a great idea on so many different levels :)
44% of all litter volume in nsw is made up of drink container litter, according to their website (https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au)
I had a big bag at home that sat outside and I鈥檇 been on and off putting drink containers in there (otherwise they鈥檇 just go in the normal recycling) but then the bag started to fill and I knew I had to start filtering it out, I鈥檇 underestimated how big the bag was and as big as the Stagea is, it wasn鈥檛 going to fit in it! (Plus mud lol)
I dragged it into the garage and it filled 7 garbage bags!
Thought I鈥檇 be able to get rid of it all at once, but I got there on a Sunday afternoon and took 2 bags, halfway through the second it closed and announced it was full :( so it took me another couple of days to get it all gone!
The plastic side
Glass
I鈥檓 keeping all of the receipts in a jar as I go, I chose to get the slips you print out and take to Woolworths to exchange for cash, you can also choose to donate it or send it to your PayPal.
I got chatting to the maintenance lady while I was waiting one day, she was pretty passionate about her job :) she said a downside to these is people think they are like Charity Bins so they leave lots of stuff next to them, and people urinating on them (really?!) but the upside is so many more people recycle and pick up litter, she was telling me a little old lady she always sees is now able to afford a plane ticket and go see her family which is lovely :)
The machine hours are mon - sun 7am to 10pm, and they have sensors so when they are full something goes off at the truck depot, and they have to be there emptying the machine within 30 minutes!
The machine was fun, can鈥檛 wait to go back馃槀