Reverse vending machines which accept bottles and cans and give vouchers on way to Wyndham

June 20, 2016
Caroline Schelle
Wyndham Leader
REVERSE vending machines will be installed across the municipality to help people go green, Wyndham Council says.
The council said it will be first council in Victoria to install the machines.
The unusual approach will let Wyndham residents deposit plastic bottles and aluminium cans in return for vouchers to Aquapulse and other facilities.
Roll out of the machines is part of the council’s environmental and waste reduction strategies.
Wyndham council’s director of sustainable development Dean Rochfort said three machines would be installed for a three-year period.
“The machines will be installed over the next 12 months with council currently working to determine the most suitable locations for them, based on where they will have the most impact on litter levels,” he said.
Wyndham councillor and environment portfolio holder Peter Gibbons said the council was committed to creating a sustainable future for residents.
Cr Gibbons said only 36 per cent of household waste was recycled and almost a quarter of recycling bins contained items that could not be re-used or recycled.
“This is why this strategy focusing on waste and litter is critical,” he said.
He said the council was also committed to reducing illegal littering and dumping.
Werribee River Association president John Forrester said any innovation to prevent littering was welcomed.
He said plastic bottles were a problem and was glad to see something done to tackle the issue.
The organisation holds regular clean ups and the amount of plastic bottles collected was well into the hundreds, the president said.
A similar scheme operates in Sydney with vending machines rewarding users who deposit plastic bottles with tokens and rewards.
At a glance
People put their old plastic bottles and aluminium cans in the machines and receive a reward
Rewards include vouchers to Aquapulse and other facilities
Three machines will be installed this year
The trial will run for the next three years
Wyndham Council is the first in Victoria to install the machines