Danae Robertson’s story will sound familiar to many looking to earn a quick buck from the State government’s Return and Earn scheme.
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The Telarah resident says she was “very strapped for cash” when she traveled to Cessnock last week to use the town’s reverse vending machine.
“I had eight bags full of cans, it was my day off work, so I used the last of my petrol driving over to get some cash back,” she explained.
After feeding one bag through, she took a break to let others in the growing line behind her use the machine.
However, the machine jammed soon after, with the on-screen display showing a blockage had occurred.
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“I thought I need to get something back, I’ve got no petrol, nothing to my name, so I rang the assistance line, who reset the machine,” she said.
Danae was halfway through feeding another bag through when the error message flashed up again.
This time, the machine would require someone to come out and clear the blockage – with the assistance line unable to give her a time when that would happen.
“I ended up getting $10 back which went straight to petrol. It barely covered the trip to Cessnock and back,” Dane said.
Her story isn’t uncommon for Lower Hunter residents frustrated with the bungled roll-out of the scheme in the region.
“For such a big area that’s growing everyday, I don’t understand why we don’t have one already,” Danae said.
“We’re paying the extra price on bottles and cans, but there’s no way for us to make it back.”
The Environmental Protection Authority announced in January that Maitland would receive a reverse vending machine in February.
A donation station – a smaller machine which doesn’t pay a refund, with the money instead going to a charity – was installed at Service NSW at Green Hills earlier this month, however it’s unclear what service Maitland will get next.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison, a vocal critic of the roll-out of the scheme in the region, called on Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton two weeks to fast track vending machines for Maitland or step down.
