Regular recyclers were left scratching their heads last week after the Westfield Warringah Mall Return and Earn machine quietly disappeared, with little public warning and no signage left behind.
The machine, located off Green Street in Brookvale, near Aldi, closed at 10pm on Wednesday 14 January and was removed shortly after, following a request from the landlord who needed the space for “alternative activities”.
For many Northern Beaches residents, the machine was a weekly routine and its sudden absence caught many by surprise, with locals reporting they only discovered the closure after turning up to recycle.
A Return and Earn spokesperson told Manly Observer that the network operator, TOMRA Cleanaway, has already secured a new site outside Coles at Warringah Mall, with the replacement machine expected to open in early February.
Until the replacement opens, residents still have options.
Across the Northern Beaches alone there are 17 return points, forming part of a statewide network of more than 660 locations.
The Brookvale Return and Earn Depot on Pittwater Road is just a few hundred metres away and caters for bulk returns, with refunds available via Coles vouchers or through the Return and Earn app.
For smaller drop-offs, Mr Harbord Convenience in Freshwater operates an over-the-counter return point.
And for anyone worried about unused Woolworths vouchers issued from the former Warringah Mall site, they need not worry as they remain valid for up to three years and can be redeemed at any Woolworths supermarket across NSW.
Brookvale local, Pamela Mawbey said: “That recycling site was a big deal.
“It was a source of extra income, particularly to people on low incomes who used the Woolworths vouchers to top up their pensions.
“One of my disabled neighbours collects so many it is like an unpaid job for him.
“Some would arrive with several large black garbage bags full of bottles, cans and cartons, and would take a long time to painstakingly deposit them in the machines one by one.
“The way it was done, with no prior warning a couple of weeks in advance with a big sign on the wire fence near Aldi, was very rude.
“And why? It was in such a convenient location before, particularly for social housing tenants without cars.
“Taking trolleys loaded with unwashed cans, bottles and cartons on a bus would be frowned upon and probably not allowed.”
Northern Beaches residents have returned more than 265 million drink containers through local sites, making it one of the most active regions in the state.
The scheme works by adding a small incentive to everyday recycling.
When a drink is purchased in an eligible vessel, a 10 cent deposit is paid and refunded when the container is returned to a Return and Earn site.
Described as the state’s largest litter reduction initiative, the spokesperson said: “The NSW Container Deposit Scheme has grown into one of the most successful and trusted recycling programs in the state.”
Since launching eight years ago, more than 1.5 billion bottles, cans and cartons have been returned statewide, putting over $1.5 billion back into people’s pockets.
Beyond the financial boost, the scheme has recycled more than one million tonnes of material and reduced drink container litter by 65%.
“PET and glass bottles collected through return points are reprocessed right here in Australia for bottle-to-bottle recycling and can be back on the supermarket shelf as a new container in as little as four weeks,” said the Return and Earn spokesperson.
UPDATE: Tuesday 03 February
Today the new location of our beloved Return and Earn machine has officially opened down at Warringah Mall.
The machine can be found under the down ramp from the 90 minute parking (P1 purple), with entry via Condamine Street.
