October 1 was a day to celebrate as Member for Murray Helen Dalton, members of Murray River Council, and scheme stakeholders gathered to officially welcome the Moama Return and Earn Depot to the network of over 650 return points in NSW.
The celebration commenced with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony performed by Mick Burke and Uncle Des Morgan from the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.
Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Mick Burke and Uncle Des Morgan from the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.
Following this, speeches were given by Helen Dalton MP, Murray River Council CEO Terry Dodds, TOMRA Cleanaway CEO James Dorney, NSW EPA Director Container Deposit Scheme Alex Young, and Exchange for Change CEO Danielle Smalley.
Mr Dorney said that local residents had been strong supporters of the Return and Earn scheme.
“We know that the residents of the Murray River Shire have been very enthusiastic recyclers, returning over 93 million containers since scheme commencement.”
The new Depot located at 91 Centre Road Moama provides Moama residents a second location to recycle their eligible beverage containers. Recyclers can simply load their recyclables on the loading platform and leave the rest up to the friendly depot team.
Speaking to the work that has been put into getting the new site open, Ms Dalton remarked, “It’s fantastic, you see all the hard work and time that has been put in it.”
“When [people] realise the facility is here, they’ll come in droves in their utes and trailers, cashing in their rubbish and getting money to spend in the community.
Return and Earn in Moama
Across the state, over 12 billion containers have been recycled since the scheme started in late 2017.
The new Return and Earn Depot is located at 91 Centre Road and will be open from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4:30pm.
Aerial view of the new Moama Return and Earn Depot at Centre Road, Moama.
This article originally appeared in the Riverine Herald.
