The state government’s return and earn scheme has been labelled a “failure” after the Heddon Greta outlet was closed and is set for relocation.
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TOMRA, which provides the collection points, advised that the reverse vending machine at Kurri Golf Club was shut down and being moved due to noise complaints about the truck pick-ups.
The location also required a ramp to be installed, but the spokesperson said it had been decided to move the machine rather than put in the necessary infrastructure.
There was also a red-bellied black snake inside the machine at one point, but it was relocated within 24 hours.
The spokesperson said a new location for the machine had not yet been confirmed, but that it would likely be somewhere nearby that did not impact as much on residents.
The machine will not re-open at the golf club.
Kurri Golf Club manager Shane Lee said it was a “disappointing outcome”.
He said the scheme would have been an annual windfall for the club, as they were paid to have it on their site.
“We were working with TOMRA to see if we could resolve the issues, but it turns out they can’t,” he said.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr said he had received some complaints about the noise at Heddon Greta, but that the volume of complaints was quite small.
“The great majority of people were not concerned enough about it to complain,” he said.
“It is a good outcome for those concerned, but it’s unfortunate for the golf club.”
Mr Barr said the main problem with the scheme was there was not enough collection points to cope with the demand, placing pressure on the “small” number of existing outlets.
“Overall it has been a real failure,” he said. “The government has stuffed this up monumentally.
Mr Barr said each local government area was supposed to have five collection points. In Cessnock there was three before the Heddon Greta outlet closed, and in Maitland LGA there is a lone one at Woodberry.
“Three is completely inadequate so I could only imagine people in Maitland would be pulling their hair out over it.
Mr Barr said it was good that the initial problems were being tackled, but that there had not been enough thought put into the implementation of the scheme.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
