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<\/p>\nOne camp complains that the collectors make noise going through bins in the early morning, trespass on private property and leave rubbish strewn on the ground. The other side holds that the collectors are doing a public service and urges compassion.<\/p>\n
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Some people say they try to help the collectors out by pre-sorting their recycling and leaving the refundable containers in a separate box. Others try that, only to find that the box gets taken by the first collector, leaving everyone else to rummage through the wheelie bin.<\/p>\n
South Sydney local Alice Hawkins speaks for many in voicing her misgivings, despite being pleased overall that the container deposit scheme gave people who were not in traditional employment an opportunity to supplement their income.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like when people go into people\u2019s private bins and take things out,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cI see that a lot in my area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kristin O\u2019Connell from the Anti-Poverty Centre said it was distressing that the few dollars that someone could earn from spending hours collecting containers was necessary to anyone\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the government values the environmental impact of these schemes, they should create proper jobs to do waste sorting,\u201d O\u2019Connell said. \u201cThere are lots of places around the world where waste sorting is a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It takes Rockdale resident Andres Maghacut hours every day to collect enough bottles and cans to earn $200 a week.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong<\/p>\n
In some areas, residents observe collectors being driven around in vans. It is not clear whether the collector is working in partnership or being exploited in a form of modern slavery.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connell said she had no evidence that coercive relationships were occurring in container collecting, but it would not be surprising since many people were excluded from Centrelink payments and vulnerable to exploitation.<\/p>\n
The state government initiative between the NSW Environment Protection Authority, scheme co-ordinator Exchange for Change and network operator TOMRA Cleanaway was designed to provide an incentive for ordinary people to take their own containers back to collection points. Exchange for Change chief executive Danielle Smalley said eight of 10 adults in NSW had participated in Return and Earn, including fundraising for a charity or community group, and most people did it monthly.<\/p>\n