The Wire

The vending machine hit Australia en mass in the sixties and seventies. But now it seems we’re seeing the rise of vending machine’s exact opposite – the ‘reverse vending machine’. You put in a used bottle or can, and the machine dispenses a reward. The system is already in place in Sydney, where the machines dispense food vouchers, raffle tickets, or the option to donate the proceeds to Clean Up Australia. Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has called for a national container deposit scheme, and the New South Wales government is expected to announce whether they will take a deposit scheme to next year’s election.