More than six weeks after the introduction of the NSW container deposit scheme, the government is unable to say when Mudgee will get a return point.
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While a number of towns across the Central West have received either reverse vending machines or over-the-counter collection points, Mudgee has missed out.
Dubbo and Orange now have vending machines at two locations, Bathurst and Wellington have one, and Parkes and Lithgow will also get one by the end of the month.
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Bathurst will get three new sites in the coming weeks, but its original one will be decommissioned because of noise complaints by nearby residents.
Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless contacted the office of Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton on Wednesday on behalf of the Mudgee Guardian but wasn’t able to provide a timeframe.
He confirmed Parkes and Lithgow were on track to receive their machines before the end of January.
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The lack of a facility means Mudgee residents would have to drive 55 kilometres to Rylstone, or further to Wellington or Dunedoo to obtain a refund on their empty drink containers.
Even where return points are available there have been problems.
The Return and Earn scheme was brought in as a way of reducing littering across the state but some towns have experienced problems around the machines. Bathurst, Orange Dubbo and Young haveall experienced issues with dumping at vending machines sites.
Non-refundable bottles, such as a some juice, wine and spirit bottles are being discarded once users realise they can’t return them. Some councils have installed rubbish bins nearby in a bid to reduce the littering.
There have also been complaints from some small retailers in the towns because a large number of the vending machines are located near Woolworths supermarkets, and offer refunds in the way of Woolworths vouchers, leaving small independent retailers at a competitive disadvantage.
