Plastic Bottle Collectors

[Wahesh]

Recently, our household started doing this as well. Hey, it's no big deal, just put a bottle you used aside and then take it to the depot when you have a fair amount.

On the streets though, it's a different story... it's becoming a very competitive business.

I remember 10-15 years ago, I'd hear rustling outside in the street about 2-3am (early hours of bin day) with a guy going from bin to bin looking for plastic bottles. The guy had a trolley with him and would just look through.

Nowadays, I have seen people doing it way earlier, I'm talking late afternoon/early evening when the bins are out. Some guy recently turned up outside my bin about 5pm and parked his car. He put on a glove and started looking through bins for bottles, and had no luck. Then his wife turned up from her hunt with a trolley and a bag full of bottles. He opened up his boot and put them in there. The backseat was FULL of them.

I see them in the suburbs on bin nights whenever I'm out and about and it's the same couple, same car, same tactic.

A few weeks ago a cousin of mine had some after a big party/lunch they had, and while they were gathering them up in the backyard, the couple heard the bottles movement in the bags. Now they can't get in the house because there's a big security gate, but they heard them and they walked up to the gate seeing if they could catch a glimpse as to what it was. My cousin heard them and told them to go away because she collects them too.

It's becoming a problem, but in a good way.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

Admittedly I didn't think of the run on effect of it at first. All I noticed is that I had to fill 3 garbage bags full of bottles to get $10 back and that was just too much of a waste of time.

Then I started noticing that there's less trash on the streets. Someone throws a bottle on the ground, someone else picks it up. It's great. Now we just need something for the rest of the trash.

 

[BELMORE]

I heard they don’t even recycle the majority of the bottles as they don’t have facilities to do so. Waiting for more demand (people recycling) before committing to building facilities that can handle more volume/profit

 

[Natboy]

Recently, our household started doing this as well. Hey, it's no big deal, just put a bottle you used aside and then take it to the depot when you have a fair amount.

On the streets though, it's a different story... it's becoming a very competitive business.

I remember 10-15 years ago, I'd hear rustling outside in the street about 2-3am (early hours of bin day) with a guy going from bin to bin looking for plastic bottles. The guy had a trolley with him and would just look through.

Nowadays, I have seen people doing it way earlier, I'm talking late afternoon/early evening when the bins are out. Some guy recently turned up outside my bin about 5pm and parked his car. He put on a glove and started looking through bins for bottles, and had no luck. Then his wife turned up from her hunt with a trolley and a bag full of bottles. He opened up his boot and put them in there. The backseat was FULL of them.

I see them in the suburbs on bin nights whenever I'm out and about and it's the same couple, same car, same tactic.

A few weeks ago a cousin of mine had some after a big party/lunch they had, and while they were gathering them up in the backyard, the couple heard the bottles movement in the bags. Now they can't get in the house because there's a big security gate, but they heard them and they walked up to the gate seeing if they could catch a glimpse as to what it was. My cousin heard them and told them to go away because she collects them too.

It's becoming a problem, but in a good way.

I had a bloke climb my big fence and start going through the bins. The cameras started going off & he ran away. Lucky the dogs were locked up that night with a storm. The cheeky prick came back and nearly got eaten so now I crush all my cans.

It’s a good idea and works, great for pocket money for kids, beer money for dads etc but fuck there is some scabs around when these type of schemes are implemented

 

[N4TE]

Yeah it’s a bit annoying if you have personal info like old bills or whatever in the bin but you probably should be tearing them up or shredding them or actually file them as I found out the hard way but yeah I don’t really care about them. If they start climbing fences then I’ll be concerned

 

[Hacky McAxe]

I heard they don’t even recycle the majority of the bottles as they don’t have facilities to do so. Waiting for more demand (people recycling) before committing to building facilities that can handle more volume/profit

Yep unfortunately. Australia originally shipped most of our recycling to China. Now China won't take it so we're effectively dumping it in landfill until we get a better solution.

 

[BELMORE]

Yep unfortunately. Australia originally shipped most of our recycling to China. Now China won't take it so we're effectively dumping it in landfill until we get a better solution.

There’s only one landfill with capacity in NSW! Lol. That’s why QLD are taxing all the waste that comes from NSW

 

[DinkumDog]

Yeah it’s a bit annoying if you have personal info like old bills or whatever in the bin but you probably should be tearing them up or shredding them or actually file them as I found out the hard way but yeah I don’t really care about them. If they start climbing fences then I’ll be concerned

Agree. I got into the habit of shredding PII given the rising cases of identity theft. Sad we’ve come to this, but that’s the reality of the world we live in.

 

[DinkumDog]

I had a bloke climb my big fence and start going through the bins. The cameras started going off & he ran away. Lucky the dogs were locked up that night with a storm. The cheeky prick came back and nearly got eaten so now I crush all my cans.

It’s a good idea and works, great for pocket money for kids, beer money for dads etc but fuck there is some scabs around when these type of schemes are implemented

My bins are in the garage so it’s not a weekly issue but when those council cleanups are on the vultures descend. I’ve generally go no issue with stuff out on the nature strip - one man’s trash is another man’s treasure after all - but climbing fences etc is not on.

 

[Mr Beast]

Our house hold have been doing this for the last couple years now. Plastic bottle and glass bottles.

Tip: if you’re recycling both, put them in seperate bins. It makes life a lot easier when you’re at the Tomra machine.

Have never claimed it yet. Just been collecting it probably about $400-$450 worth easily now.

Win for me and win for the environment

 

[Heckler]

There are people that buy them off you for 5c per bottle.

 

[Smartseal]

I heard they don’t even recycle the majority of the bottles as they don’t have facilities to do so. Waiting for more demand (people recycling) before committing to building facilities that can handle more volume/profit

Not quite the same, but is.........

I did a job for my local council (nq) a few years back sealing the cbd footpaths. They supplied the sealer, which was approximately 150/20l drums. I had to pick these up from their depot as the work was done from midnight....
Anyway, the drums were class 5 recyclable & I just took the empties home whilst doing the job. I ended up with 120 odd drums in my driveway. I assumed the council would be big on the recycling & as they supplied I contacted them for disposal. Their response was they didn't want them, to which I said well you supplied them, so there yours. I told them they were recyclable & should go to the drum muster, they said the as the contents were contaminated they weren't part of drum muster. The product was water based, so I agreed to flush out all the drums whilst drinking beer & listening to footy one Sunday arvo if they collected, they agreed.
Anyway, council truck comes round to collect all the drums & I just mention to driver how long (& pissed) it was to flush them. His response, "shouldn't have wasted your time mate, we're just chucking them into landfill.
That was the last time I gave a fuck about recycling, but do cash in my cans

 

[Alan79]

I collect them and give them to my sister when she's a bit short on cash. But I did a course with a Ukranian guy that said he was making between $50 to $80 a day by raiding the bins in town for about 1-2 hours a day. Buggered if I'd be caught dead sifting through bins even for $40/hr.

 

[Wahesh]

I collect them and give them to my sister when she's a bit short on cash. But I did a course with a Ukranian guy that said he was making between $50 to $80 a day by raiding the bins in town for about 1-2 hours a day. Buggered if I'd be caught dead sifting through bins even for $40/hr.

No way would I do that. It's derogatory IMO.

 

[Haza]

I’ve got a blue lid bin at my place which was supplied to me by return and earn. Once it’s almost full i submit an online form for it to be picked up and they supply me with an empty bin and deposit the money into my account.

 

[Wahesh]

I’ve got a blue lid bin at my place which was supplied to me by return and earn. Once it’s almost full i submit an online form for it to be picked up and they supply me with an empty bin and deposit the money into my account.

Isn't that risky? If you put the blue lid bin on the streets wouldn't the people raid it for the bottles?

 

[BlackJackBulldog]

There is a guy who wanders around Brisbane CBD who could be classed as a "professional bottle collector".
Has a hat with the spotlight on the front, thick rubber gloves, high vis long sleeve shirt, hard Yacka style long pants and comfortable walking shoes.
His tool belt consists of a make shift key to unlock the bins on the street and an extension handle claw.
His work vehicle is a Coles trolley with chicken wire forming a 3 foot high "fence" out of the top of it.

I am sure he can bank some decent coin from doing this every day... but at what price?

 

[DinkumDog]

There is a guy who wanders around Brisbane CBD who could be classed as a "professional bottle collector".

Keen as...

 

[UmoGus]

My old retired dad does this. All of us 6 kids just throw our bottles into a separate garbage bag and give them to him when we visit. He would have about 40 bags full in the backyard waiting to cash atm.

Gives him something to do, earns him abit of extra cash (which he needs) and keeps the shit off the street and out of the water.