Finding new and better ways to affect rubbish removal in the Sydney area is a priority for local councils and should be for residents as well.

One Melbourne council may be onto an innovative new approach to recycling that harks back to an approach we took back in the 1980s…

Kids in Victoria were, for a time three decades ago, encouraged to collect aluminium cans in the “Cash for Cans” Scheme. In a similar spirit today, Wyndham City Council in Melbourne has installed vending machines with a difference. When people insert empty plastic bottles and aluminium cans for recycling, the vending machines dispense vouchers, entries for competitions, or charity donations as “payment” for the recycled items.

This provides extra incentives for people to not only not litter, but to more responsibly dispose of certain items that are ideal for recycling.

Each machine can hold up to two thousand cans or bottles before being emptied, and last month Wyndham City Council installed three of these.

Sydney is also trialling reverse vending machines for recycling, with one machine located at Redfern and another at Circular Quay. Part of a trial until mid 2017, the Sydney “envirobanks” hold up to three thousand plastic bottles or cans before needing to be emptied.

The Sydney machines will reject unsuitable items like paper goods. Labels must be intact as recyclable containers are identified by the machines by barcodes. Glass must not be inserted, not should bottles or cans be crushed.

These vending machines aim to mitigate some of the fifteen thousand cans and bottles that are littered or disposed into landfill in Australia EVERY MINUTE. By offering a small reward for recycling into these machines, Sydney council hopes that many more than the current 42% of cans and bottles will be recycled in NSW.

Some of the Sydney machine rewards have included entry into a draw for tickets to premium Sydney New Year’s Eve celebrations, food truck vouchers, or small ten cent charity donations.

It’s hoped that after the trial these machines will become permanent and more widespread.

Do your part and recycle, and for sustainable rubbish removal throughout Sydney, call AA Adonis Rubbish Removals today on 0418 671 297.