Honour Church Pastor Mark VanDerVeer said the Honour Church collection point had received more than 16,000 containers since January 2, and with the Hope Shop container deposits, he estimated people had returned 30,000 containers at the two sites.

Mr VanDerVeer said people were embracing the container deposit scheme.

“For us, it’s working pretty well and I see it as a bit of an income stream,” he said.

Matthews Metal Recycling is another collection point.

Port Macquarie’s reverse vending machine, which opened on January 22, complements the collection points.

The reverse vending machine is located at Settlement City’s western carpark behind Woolworths adjacent to the canal.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams said the Settlement City reverse vending machine had easy parking in the vicinity.

The reverse vending machine is open between 7am and 10pm seven days a week.

The state government’s Return and Earn scheme aims to reduce the volume of drink container litter.

Settlement City centre manager Brett Varcoe said Lendlease was committed to sustainability initiatives that benefited the local community now and in the future.

Reverse vending machine users can donate their refund to selected charities or receive the refund via electronic payment to their registered account.

People can also use a credit voucher issued towards their shopping at Woolworths or redeem for cash in Woolworths supermarkets.

Mrs Williams said she was hopeful the reverse vending machine at Settlement City would be one of a number in the electorate.

“We are exploring the possibility of one at Lake Cathie and another at Laurieton,” the Port Macquarie MP said.