5c/10c refund at collection depots when sold in SA

[barra265t]

Anybody in SA can enlighten me on how this scheme actually works? Is there some kind of strings attached where there's a limit per person.. and what's stopping someone from shipping a tonne of scavenged bottles over in a back of a ute to SA and unloading it for a quick buck?

[[TOPGHIA]]

as far as i know no strings just take them to the recycling place and drop off as many as u want.

some people is SA go scavenging for bottles and cans after sports events and other things like that just so they can make a few $$$.

its 10c now because 5c was not working even if the bottle has 5c on it u get the 10c.

[SM1DY]

You might find something here -

http://www.atomikgreen.com.au/index....t&view=article

I don't think that there are strings attached, it's just a scheme to prevent littering and encourage recycling.

[barra265t]

thanks for the replies guys. proof of SA residence required?

[FreddyDUZ747]

Yep,go ya hardest.No strings attached.No proof of residence just walk in with a Farmers Union Iced Coffee.

At the Gazzanats the kids were filling gar bags full and loving it.

[[TOPGHIA]]

Originally Posted by barra265t

thanks for the replies guys. proof of SA residence required?

i would say not

[barra265t]

Bottles/cans need to be in a usable state (e.g. not crushed), or can they be compressed?

[Breezed]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Bottles/cans need to be in a usable state (e.g. not crushed), or can they be compressed?

doesnt matter if there crushed or not they will take them

[XR6-VCT-2000]

bottles can't be broken though !.

[Riksta]

Just take as many as you want into the depot, and they'll sort them into the relevant bins and count them up for you.

Some of them you gotta watch, they'll try shaft you a few $$ here and there, but at the end of the day I think the most I've ever scored was $25 and that was with the old 5c scheme. Had the colt loaded to the hilt with only room for me to drive it LOL.

Cans can be crushed or whatever, they still count them and throw them in the bins, they get melted down anyway as far as I know so it doesn't really matter whether or not they're "usable". But yeah they don't like glass bottles if they're broken, and from experience they prefer no lids on the PET bottles but haven't really been given heaps of grief over it.

I've never been asked for proof of residence, but then again I always rock up in a vehicle with SA plates so I guess its kinda obvious.

[Jesk]

it can be big fines and they can refuse to take your bottles if they suspect that they are not south australian bottles, i think the signs up at my local said once its over $100 worth they will ask for some proof of being SA bottles but ive never gone that high

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Jimbob_14

as far as i know no strings just take them to the recycling place and drop off as many as u want.

some people is SA go scavenging for bottles and cans after sports events and other things like that just so they can make a few $$$.

its 10c now because 5c was not working even if the bottle has 5c on it u get the 10c.

Same system applies in Sweden. I was wondering why there was a line of people with sports bags / trolley suitcases putting bottles and cans INTO a vending machine and getting money out.

Over there is is a very streamlined system, you don't need to talk to anyone, you just push them through the chute and the machine gives you the money when you're done.

Most large supermarkets have this collection machine. Wish the system was in place in NSW.

[myxr6]

Used to be a 20c deposit here in QLD on large glass bottles in the 70's.Did the same thing , collect as many as possible then head to the shop to cash in.

[Riksta]

Originally Posted by Jesk

it can be big fines and they can refuse to take your bottles if they suspect that they are not south australian bottles, i think the signs up at my local said once its over $100 worth they will ask for some proof of being SA bottles but ive never gone that high

"I've only got receipts here for $88 worth of bottles..."

How can you prove that they're SA bottles? Surely they'd just ask for proof of residency like a Driver's Licence or something?

[smally289]

The scheme works well, have a look on the side of our roads, you dont see too many bottles or cans laying around. On recent trips to VIC, NSW and QLD, I was amazed at the number of them on the roadside.
When it was first increased from 5c to 10c recently it was stated that if the deposit had been inceased in line with CPI from its inception, then it would be 32c.
There is another way of looking at the deposit scheme, other than getting the cash back in your hand - every bottle or can you see laying around is 10c in the governments pocket! Grab it and cash it in, they get enough of our hard earned!!

[fairmont1998]

For 2000 bottles/can or more you will have to fill out a form that they were all bought in SA. This rule was introduced when they changed from 5c to 10c. There are fines if you get caught.

[barra265t]

What's the payment method when you bring the bottles in. cheers

[loosey]

They give you cash in hand.

[Bossxr8]

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman load up the postal van and head upstate to cash them in.

[Iggypoppin']

Im pretty sure you can't have too many bottles and cans or they make you fill out a hobby form or something? same as scrap metal, because if you have too much you can be accused of being a business trying to make extra money by rorting the system or something. i last cashed in $42 from all the bottles in my old shed. awesome haul for ten minutes work

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

Im pretty sure you can't have too many bottles and cans or they make you fill out a hobby form or something? same as scrap metal, because if you have too much you can be accused of being a business trying to make extra money by rorting the system or something. i last cashed in $42 from all the bottles in my old shed. awesome haul for ten minutes work

geez must have been a lot of bottles in your shed. How was the bloke at the depot with counting up all the bottles. Did you lay them out nicely in a grid or something? Pretty sure being human and all they'd start to get annoyed by the 400th or whatever bottle they'd have to count

[EFPWR]

If it's an incentive to keep litter off the side of the road, I honestly don't get why they would fine you for having too much.

[Iggypoppin']

threw them in the xr, overloaded for godsakes....rocked up around 4.50 on a thursday, and said...sorry guys, got a few bottles.

i grabbed them all out, in bags of course, from the passenger seats, they dealt with the boot bags, all in all 442 bottles and cans and a few surly and unhappy recycling workers. practically threw the money at me and told me to get out so they can shut the gates.

i probably shouldn't have gone that late in the day, they where all having a smoke and a beer just before knock-off and they looked at me like cancer as i drove in. hehehe....the joy.

[dave351cid]

Originally Posted by 76txcoupe

i probably shouldn't have gone that late in the day, they where all having a smoke and a beer just before knock-off and they looked at me like cancer as i drove in. hehehe....the joy.

your a cruel bugger

i heard something on the radio a week or so ago that the federal govt are thinking about adopting the SA system australia wide.

[Iggypoppin']

it's a great incentive. pretty sure i read in the advertiser how the 10c refund has helped clean up our streets, as well as encouraged lots of recycling(especially from kids, its great to see them earning some legit money and doing good at the same time) and the number of bottles and cans going into landfill is dropping all the time.

yeah, i am evil and i have a knack for going to the recycling dep's at closing time haha

[prydey]

i always count them myself. 20 per garbage bag. makes it a lot quicker then. in and out in a matter of minutes.

[BENT_8]

It's a great system, it really has taken off since the 5c increase.

My nephew was sorting bottles for a while, at his depot anything over $50 and you sign a form to say it's only a hobby.
Last time i went i took 3 wool sacks, got $110 as most were cans.
They dont really like it if you crush the cans as they dont pack as well when they put em in the compactor.

It always amazed me the piles of cans and bottles 20-30mins out of Mildura heading east, about how long it takes to finish one lol.

[Bud Bud]

For those that may be interested and sorry for the long post!

This scheme was mainly originally about road side litter. I don't think recycling was the major driving factor compared to the littering mandate set by the Gov and KESAB at that time. KESAB (KEep S A Beautiful) was a big part of S.A. in the 70's. What ever happened to it?

Originally before plastics and glass was still king, the deposit was set at 5c for cans and the little bottles of Coke etc. 10c for what would we would call a buddy these days and 20c for 1 litre bottles. These bottles were definitely washed and refilled by their respective suppliers before starting the cycle again. Before milk cartons arrived, milk bottles were also collected by the "milkies" in the middle of the night and returned to their "Co Op's" to be washed and refilled but they did not contain a deposit though in those days.

These soft drink bottles were able to be received directly by your local deli (milk bar) and exchanged for goods to the same value. I remember truck drivers would come in to the deli and pick out the medium sized coke from the fridge (20c), pop the lid with the opener on the side of the fridge, and slam it back in ten seconds and then place the bottle on the counter along with just 10c when they left.

As kids we used to raid building sites and collect as many 1 litre bottles as our sport bags could hold. Sometimes we would collect as much as $3-$5 worth at a time when "Wagon Wheels" were worth 5c. :

I used to spend sometime in and around Werribee in Melbourne when I was a kid and I was always amazed at all the over flowing bins full of empty Coke and Tarax bottles in the bins out of the front of your typical milk bar. I would often make a quick mental calculation of the value of these if they could be retuned back to the milk bar. Did all these really end up in land fill?

Beer bottles did not have an individual pricing structure, rather more of a dozen or collective value. I cannot remember how much Long necks were worth but 2 dozen empty stubbies was worth 32c. These could only be returned to a bottle collection depot only. If you took soft drink bottles to a bottle collection depot, they would only give you half because they could only collect the same value of the bottle themselves so you would always return your bottles to deli’s or super markets instead.

All this changed sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s when plastics arrived and glass was phased out. They set the value at 5c on everything from cans to 2 litre plastic bottles. They also denied the return of these plastics to deli’s etc. making the deposit redeemable (for cash) from the bottle collection depots only. They also put the same value onto long necks and stubbies so that they could now be counted individually in line with all the other returns.

In the following years they introduced a deposit on to 600ml empty milk cartons as well. The 5c deposit remained unchanged right up to this year when they finally upped it to 10c.

When the original deposit was introduce, it was fought very heavily by the multinationals claiming it would hurt there products but over time, it still evened out. Today, I still see Pepsi Max 1.25 litre on special for 99c at Coles from time to time just like any other place in Australia except now, they include a 10c deposit as well actually making them cheaper! _2:

Bud Bud

[fairmont1998]

Nice post Bud Bud

Originally Posted by smally351

There is another way of looking at the deposit scheme, other than getting the cash back in your hand - every bottle or can you see laying around is 10c in the governments pocket! Grab it and cash it in, they get enough of our hard earned!!

Not entirely true. The deposit is paid by the purchaser of the beverage on top of the wholesale and retail margins.
When the recycling depot passes the containers on to a collection co-ordinator they are paid the 10c and a handling fee so that they may be profitable.
So its not the Govt that funds the deposit scheme. Its self sufficient.

[Franco Cozzo]

End of cup week 2008 at Flemington, the public lawn:



If they had that scheme down here in Victoria, I'd hire out a truck driver and a B tripple and we'd all be millionaires lol.