A Return and Earn reverse vending machine is coming Bondi Beach!
At long last, Bondi Beach will be getting a reverse vending machine for empty drink containers. Litter is a massive problem in Bondi. The NSW EPA’s Return and Earn program incentivises the recycling of empty drink bottles, making it more likely they will be recycled instead of littered.
The machine will be located behind the Bondi Pavilion in the carpark adjacent to Campbell Parade, near Beach Road.
You can earn ten cents for every eligible drink container you return. Eligible containers include most glass, cans, plastic and paperboard drink containers between 150 millilitres and three litres – those most often found in the litter stream.
The program is part of the New South Wales Container Deposit Scheme, which is designed to reduce the 160 million drink containers littered in our environment each year. Drink containers make up almost half of the volume of litter in NSW. The aim of the program is to reducing litter volume in NSW by 40 per cent by 2020.
The scheme started 1 December 2017 and continues to roll out across the state. Once fully rolled out, there will be more than 500 collection points, including in remote towns of more than 500 people and at 270 sites across the Greater Sydney Region
The reverse vending machine is part of a three month trial and it is anticipated to open sometime this long weekend, June 9 or 10 at Bondi Beach.
More ways to fight plastic pollution in Bondi
If you’d like to get involved in other plastic reduction efforts, we’ve got you covered:
- Join us for a screening of the magnificent and heartbreaking documentary Blue at our Film & Feast on 21 June. Get tickets
- Join us for the ‘Give Plastic the Flick’ event happening 1 July at the Bondi Pavilion. We’ll watch fun short films and hear from a diverse panel of local sustainable entrepreneurs. Get tickets.
- Also on 1 July, there will be a variety of free family friendly, plastic-busting activities as part of the Doing Good in the Hood celebration. This is a great way to kickstart Plastic Free July. More info about the local celebration.
