Does Anyone Recycle Bottles at The Recycle Station for 10c a Bottle?

dabs on 15/11/2022 - 11:43
Last edited 15/11/2022 - 11:53 by 1 other user

I have saved up a lot of water bottles that I drink at work (~15 bags) and have attempted to use the recycle machines for Woollies vouchers.

But after around 50 bottles in (1 bag), the machine says that my session was interrupted and came to an end. Machine is offline and not working and resets after around 15 minutes.

I was wondering whether anyone else has experienced the same issue?

After around 3-4 times of this (1.5 hours in and only 4 bags done), I gave up and went home.

Tried again last weekend at the station where there were 4 machines, and still kept of getting the same error and gave up again.

Are the water bottles causing the issue?

Home & Garden Recycling

Comments

              • bobwokeup on 18/11/2022 - 19:38

                @apsilon: Yeah fair enough. It is frustrating when things aren’t consistent across the country when I come to things like this.

    • Summoner on 15/11/2022 - 20:30

      If you are in QLD, you need to take the lids off

      Make sure you take off the lids – we recycle those too, just separately.

  • Benoffie on 16/11/2022 - 00:07
    +4

    Dont understand these machine things. In SA we just take them to the recyclers and get paid. The workers sort them and pay cash.

    Working that way since 1977. Why NSW makes things so complicated 😕

    • djk on 16/11/2022 - 08:03

      Agree. It was so easy in SA. Took NSW decades to catch up and it is often extremely difficult to find a station to return them to whether machine or human, sadly.

    • ColtNoir on 17/11/2022 - 10:44

      Because they don’t need a bunch of whole recycling plants in every suburb. Land is too expensive unlike land would’ve been in the 70’s in SA.

      They’re everywhere now and have made it convenient for me to sort the bottles before I go grocery shopping.

  • djk on 16/11/2022 - 08:01

    We take them to a local newsagent for cash.
    We’ve used the machine at the zoo but found it extremely time consuming and only provides vouchers and it’s extremely frustrating as you have to get the angle of the barcodes just right for scanning.
    I’d check if there is a local site that’s human operated.
    We only go in at off peak times out of courtesy and take a large bag at a time.
    In your situation I’d probably invest in a flask/esky and bring filtered water from home. Cheaper and more sustainable.

    • Poor Ass on 16/11/2022 - 12:56

      barcode lol WTF no need scan barcodes in QLD

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 16/11/2022 - 08:08
    +2

    I donate mine to my nephews a few hundred at a time. They’ve started quite a business out of it!

  • Sunshines bright on 16/11/2022 - 09:21

    We have a vinnies which recycles them all we do is hand the bags to them and they put them through the sorting machine while we wait and the money goes into the bank via our debit card. Just google it to see if there is one near you.

  • Murkymerv on 16/11/2022 - 10:06
    +2

    Why is Victoria missing out on this scheme ? It would certainly clean up the streets with all the pigs leaving their trash behind . Life's full of disappointments…..

    • mapax on 16/11/2022 - 10:08
      +1

      It is starting next year

      • capslock janitor on 17/11/2022 - 23:00

        well that sucks.. my paid-for council recycling bin will be fed less

        • Guybrush57 on 19/11/2022 - 13:45

          That is the worst part of it. You pay twice to recycle.

        • bobwokeup on 19/11/2022 - 13:52

          Not in our house, recycling is still full and normal bin has next to nothing in it. Wish we had the green/food bins.

          • Guybrush57 on 23/11/2022 - 17:04

            @bobwokeup: I thought green bins were mandated everywhere now?

            • bobwokeup on 23/11/2022 - 17:08

              @Guybrush57: Yep it’s going to be mandated but by 2025 I think it is, so my council refuses to do it until they are forced 🤦🏽‍♂️ this happens a lot in WA, we’re always the last to do everything 🤣

    • pharkurnell on 17/11/2022 - 15:52

      … would certainly clean up the streets with all the pigs leaving their trash behind

      no it wouldnt

    • capslock janitor on 17/11/2022 - 23:03

      not a fan of the CDS, that means drinks will go up in price too, for people to claw back 5-10c back

  • jayta on 16/11/2022 - 12:16
    +2

    I go to a place where you just upend your bags/crates into a giant sorting machine. There is no feeding in one by one. They pay in cash at the end

  • qwerty-4321 on 16/11/2022 - 13:22

    I used to, but it is a waste of my weekend to sit in a queue for 30 minutes to get $10.

    Now I just put them in general recycling.

    • USER DC on 16/11/2022 - 13:26
      +1

      Yeah its just too much wait at those place, not worth the time spent there waiting. One day It was taking so long that I just left the cans at ground told em you can recycle it, I dont need money, and left the place.

    • sheebies on 17/11/2022 - 08:12
      +1

      When I lived in Sydney we used to have an old dude on the pension come around on bin day and dig through peoples recycling bins for cans or bottles.

      We used to leave our bags of cans or bottles next to our recycling bin and old mate used to just grab the bags and go. It was a win for us because our bin wasn’t full of cans or bottles and it made his life easier cause he wasn’t fishing through our bins.

      Love the concept of people getting money back for their recycling, but those machines are just a waste of my time and effort

  • Davelovesdealz on 16/11/2022 - 13:25
    +2

    You are using a reverse vending machine which suck/are designed for smaller numbers of containers. Go to an automated depot. You dump everything into a spinning machine and it counts them all automatically - they have staff if there are any issues….

    https://returnandearn.org.au/return-points/

    • dabs on 17/11/2022 - 15:11
      +2

      Thanks I just checked and there's a few near me.

    • capslock janitor on 17/11/2022 - 23:15

      Be in good condition (not be crushed or broken)

      why can't be crushed? wtf

      • bobwokeup on 17/11/2022 - 23:25

        They need to be able check it’s an eligible bottle/can. With the bag drops you can squash them but they need to be able to see the 10c refund symbol.

      • Davelovesdealz on 18/11/2022 - 09:19
        +1

        They scan the barcode

  • mitt on 16/11/2022 - 13:28
    +4

    My local bowls club has a bottle recycling bin where the club gets 8c a bottle (2c goes to the company processing the bottles). I just dump em in there. Takes me 10 seconds & a solid not for profit gets the return.

  • saltysalt on 16/11/2022 - 13:32
    +2

    Karma for drinking bottled water. Just fill up some reusable bottles.

  • LoserScott on 16/11/2022 - 17:14
    -1

    Miss the $2 shopping trolleys at Kmart decades ago. Make a decent trolly just slamming them in, and getting $2 from the machine…

  • MeesusEff on 16/11/2022 - 18:10

    Do you not have drive in stations where you are? I can't imagine feeding mine into a machine 1 by 1 lol. I bring a big box and someone comes and chucks it around. I have to rely on their counting (sometimes feels a bit off but oh well 🤔). The $22 I get just required my effort of bringing the box from boot to table

  • Cloudie on 16/11/2022 - 20:48

    We take it to some warehouse where a lady counts them and then hands us some cash. I just googled recycling places and theres heaps around.

    I did also download an app called ReCollect. You book in the collection and they come pick it up from your place. Normally only offer 7c return per item, however I did get a code for the full 10c per item. Still haven't used it though as cash is better for my parents who have now taken over the job lol

  • cyan00FFFF on 16/11/2022 - 21:26

    This error does show up every so often - it just says to call the hotline if the machine is not back on after 10 min. You just have to wait, although it shouldn't happen very frequently - it has never happened more than once each time for me - and I do >500 bottles a time. The error is usually that one of the bins is full and the machine is moving the conveyor to direct the bottles to another bin. It can also happen that bottles get stuck on the conveyor without falling into the bins. When that happens it will stop and use paddles to knock the bottles off the conveyor.
    If you keep getting this error, you could go to an automated collection depot (shown on the Return & Earn website), or use a collection service.

  • dcash on 16/11/2022 - 21:30

    In NSW I have to pay 15c to get 10c back, and only if I drive miles and waste hours feeding bottles into a stupid machine — despite having a truck that stops at my front door once every two weeks to pick up recyclables. What an effing joke the stupid "Return and earn only lose 5c plus your time and petrol money" scheme is!

  • Mister Popo on 16/11/2022 - 21:42
    +1

    What's wrong with the tap water at work?

  • AustriaBargain on 16/11/2022 - 22:22

    Can't be bothered collecting and bringing bottles. If I were a heavy drinker maybe it would be worth. I just put them in recycle bin.

  • Brianqpr on 16/11/2022 - 23:12
    +3

    Used to when my son was younger and he liked doing it and of course the cash. Now he's a grumpy teenager and no longer interested.

  • berry580 on 16/11/2022 - 23:29

    It's happened to me before as well. I doubt it's a system issue, the machine probably behaves like that by design

  • ColtNoir on 17/11/2022 - 10:42

    Sign up for the return and earn app and get it sent to you via PayPal.
    Heaps easy and is there within minutes of finishing.
    You could also just do a few bags at a time.

    • bobwokeup on 17/11/2022 - 10:45

      Is that available across Australia?

  • Oofy Doofy on 17/11/2022 - 11:32

    I did it for a while and then realised it wasn't worth the time and effort.

    If i had a business and somehow i collected thousands of bottles, cans and cartons, then yeah I'd probably keep doing it.

  • peekabooo on 17/11/2022 - 12:39

    I put everything in the recycling. The time taken to deal with the bottles and the space it takes is not worth the $20 I might get at the end of the year. I'm in SA. I wouldn't even bother unless the bottle is with at least $1.

  • squaredonut on 17/11/2022 - 14:18

    I use to do it, when it first started. The biggest issue after your 2nd visit to these things is:

    1) It is time consuming we all know, if you do it fast the machine whinges and you do it slower…
    2) People who do it are super slow as they are majority old, or they are slow with using these machines
    3) It's pretty dirty, all the syrup from soft drink bottles etc, smells like a mini tip
    4) I never experienced your issue, but with that amount there are some return and earn where you go to the centre and give them the entire bags and they dump it all at once, it's supposedly pretty quick
    5) As others have said you need to weigh the time and petrol etc benefits, if it's literally in walking distance and you have time, sure why not
    6) I originally thought this was a great idea until now every week when it's yellow bin week, it's like bin chickens but humans going to every house hold and raiding them for bottles….

  • Poor Ass on 17/11/2022 - 15:02

    I find the Return-It places really good apart from the stink

    left conveyor belt for glass and right conveyor belt for everything else

    just start the machine one… single file.. no barcode scanning needed… probably can do 4-5 bottles per 1-2second

    grab ticket… scan and get cash straight away

  • drfuzzy on 17/11/2022 - 15:07
    +1

    Maybe the OP is collecting bottles for extra income and not purchasing the water themselves.

  • ihfree on 17/11/2022 - 15:25

    I don't bother. I have done it once but the effort isn't worth it due to time queueing, storage, and sorting. We generally don't have too many anyway.

    I sometimes sort them from the rest of the rubbish in my bin so someone can easily take them.

  • field1985 on 17/11/2022 - 19:25
    +2

    In Europe the refund on bottles was 77c (0.50EU). It made it much more worthwhile returning empty bottles/cans and people (kids, pensioners) actively walk the streets picking them up after others, just for the extra income. Keeps the streets spotless.
    Every single supermarket also had a machine for collecting them, which shredded and crushed the plastic (you could hear it) into pellets, then into a huge underground hopper, for latter collection by a truck.
    I'm pretty sure if the refund was that much here a lot more people would bother.. that's $18.50 for every empty carton of beer cans you return.

    • KSMLJ on 19/11/2022 - 15:00

      Then your carton of beer would probably go up by $19-$20.

    • the wiz on 19/11/2022 - 21:41

      Or we could just put them in our recycling bin like we already do.

  • Melong on 17/11/2022 - 20:51
    +1

    Just gonna put this here for nostalgia
    https://youtu.be/RWQ8ZDkMsgI

  • treeman on 17/11/2022 - 21:38

    Do it all the time. In SA people count them manually.

  • capslock janitor on 17/11/2022 - 23:12
    +1

    (profanity) the container deposit scheme sucks

  • apiecost on 18/11/2022 - 00:38

    I'm lucky I guess. When I get about 2 bags full I go through my drive-through local depot on a Saturday morning. Tip the bottles out and the guy counts them in a few minutes, scribbles on a bit of paper and a person at the booth pays. The other place I used to have to go to had a machine that you fed them into but they only ever had 3 max working and I always seemed to get stuck behind something with 10+ bags.

  • THICKnSLOW on 18/11/2022 - 08:24

    Does the bottles actually get recycled or go to landfill?

  • wallet72 on 18/11/2022 - 10:19

    I though this whole thing was just a way for kids to either get some extra spending money, or get their parents to do all the hard work for them to get extra spending money?
    I'm old enough to remember 'cash for cans' and it was always just a way to get pocket money - never really worth spending money to recycle.

    It was also a hell of a lot easier when you could just weigh bags of crushed cans and get some coins, I understand the reasoning for not crushing them now but that's just an excuse to not change the process.

  • yunstella on 18/11/2022 - 15:10

    I think there is a limit on how many bottles you can recycle at a time.

  • klonky on 18/11/2022 - 15:10
    +1

    The system in the ACT is pretty simple.
    Put the bottles/cans in a rubbish bag and head down to the shop where there is a big shipping container, enter your phone number on the screen and print out bag labels. Attach and put in the container. Someone comes by in the week to count and money is deposited in to your account.

  • nuttapillar on 18/11/2022 - 16:28
    +1

    I've been getting recycling refunds for my whole life. I never throw out bottles or cans in the rubbish. Always bagged them, and then take to the depot In a big batch. It's how I got pocket money as a kid. Now when I throw parties at home, I keep all the recycling, and I even have a bin at my workplace to collect people's recycling. It's been a thing here in SA for as long as I can remember, and there's recycling depots everywhere. No need for a long drive.

  • rlam on 19/11/2022 - 07:13

    Qld has the container collect. We fill a bag and arrange a pick up from the house.

    https://www.containersforchange.com.au/qld/container-collect

  • bigbadboogieman on 19/11/2022 - 15:40

    I was about to complain about everytime I go to the machine with my small bag of 30 odd bottles and cans and find an A-hole with 3 trolleys full, loading up the machine. By the time he's done, the machine is done for the day and everyone else goes back to their car cursing.

    My advice to you: visit the machine more frequently.

  • the wiz on 19/11/2022 - 21:36

    Stop drinking bottled water. You're paying 1000x the price for water in disposable plastic bottles. Just stop.

    Anyone who buys bottled water needs their head examined.

  • girafficlight on 20/11/2022 - 01:46

    I was shocked that only certain bottles get a refund. Coming from Canada we recycle all bottles and receive a different amount depending on the size. This ranges from 5-20 cent refund at the depots. I brought my items to containers for a change in WA last week, all of my bottles, only to find out cans and Glass beer bottles are accepted… I earned a whole 6$, and was asked to bring the others containers back to put in yellow bin..

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