this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2024
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IMO, this is yet another government initiative that's turning out to be an absolute joke.

My 9yo daughter has been hounding our household to not throw our 10c deposit containers into the council bin. Instead, she wants to collect them and cash them in using the CDS Vic scheme. As she puts it, we get money AND the containers get recycled properly, rather than what happens with our commingled recycling bin.

The problem is, every time I go to one of the reverse vending machines in my area, they're out of order, or there's only one receiver working, with about six people in line, all with several bags or boxes each.

Then the CDS Vic app itself says the same operator is running an over the counter collection at our local netball club, but someone was dreaming when they put that into the app. I've never seen anyone collecting recycling there, and I drive past it at least twice daily.

The operator in our area (Return-It) should lose their contract for being fucking useless.

This has been going on for so long now, that I'm now holding an estimated 400-600 bottles and cans, which my daughter is begging me to not toss out, so we can get rid of them "the right way".

I'm all for doing the right thing, and making sure recyclables are, well, recycled properly, but when the personal inconvenience level is so high, all it does is cost more taxpayer dollars without moving the needle on our recycling performance.

/rant

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

They definitely need to ramp up - one near us gets emptied every damned day but there's still no point going after 3pm becausr it's full.

If you have a bulk then go to the depot in oakleigh. There's about fifty machines in a lot and they bulk accept as well

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

There's a bulk depot near us, in Hallam. I've emailed to ask if I need to count them all up before I go or not. What was your experience at your bulk depot?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

NSW here. I use a bulk depot near us every time I deposit. They have a large rotating dish that feeds the bottles down the scanning line. The entire thing is very efficient and I would never use a carpark machine again.

Still not really worth my time for the $12.70 but it is all for the environment right... right?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

it is all for the environment right… right?

That's what my daughter tells me

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Worth my time, i get a half hour walk in and paid for it!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Haven't used cds ones, but most just weigh

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

In Geelong there's a person that drives up a caged trailer full of cans to the reverse vending machines, and fills them up as soon as they open.

I'm guessing they saved cans up before the scheme started, and they would be caught out on this fraud when going to the bulk depots.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It's also bullshit because every store has raised prices so you don't even get anything back, it just reduces the costs to what you were paying before

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago

That is the whole point of the scheme. It is a refundable 10c deposit, it is not supposed to be a profit making scheme.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

It's also bullshit because every store has raised prices so you don't even get anything back, it just reduces the costs to more than you were paying before.

FIxed it for you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I went to one with a coupe jars and bottles. It rejected all of them. It was all stuff that could be recycled but the jars weren't generic shapes. I'm not going to go down and try my luck on every jar and bottle

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

It's only beverage containers that state there's a 10c deposit, and it has to be able to scan the barcode to confirm that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Snag the app. It has a barcode scanner that tells you on the fly

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I have the app, so I'll have to give it a go and see what it will let in

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

My assumption for the collection point ones like the netball stadium you mentioned was that it was basically going to be like a storage tub underneath a counter and you'd hand your bottles to a person and they'd give you money for it, kinda like those scrap metal places. Is it actually more formal than that?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Well, according to the location details in the app, it was meant to handle electronic transfer too, so I assume they at least had a companion app that would scan the Scheme ID barcode in mine.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Stop buying stuff in bottles or containers.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago

What an incredibly stupid comment. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the stupidest comment I've seen all year.

Don't buy stuff that comes in a container

Okay, I'll just go back and live in the 17th century. Cool.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (3 children)

It also applies to cardboard UHT containers, so how the fuck else should I buy milk?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Import it from Canada in bags

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Wait really? I didn't know that. I was actually a little surprised that my iced coffee has the 10c sign on it, I thought the fact there'd probably be curdled milk in it would make it difficult to recycle

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Yep - as long as it has the 10c deposit printed on it, and the machine can scan the barcode to confirm, they'll accept them.