Bin company responds to ‘sneaky’ new fee amid neighbourhood backlash

The Aussie bin company has hit back at customers complaining of a ‘surprise’ invoice landing in their inbox 

Aussie residents of Bayside and beyond are up in arms after receiving a 'surprise' fee for a service that they've been enjoying for free for many years. 

Since its launch in NSW in 2017, the Return and Earn scheme has been used by many residents - to combat the volume of drink container litter in the state, but also for that sweet 10c return.  

Families were quickly filling up bags and returning them to the depot for their refunds and before they knew it, the whole family displayed positive recycling habits. 

Some councils even saw savvy small businesses offer a service of a home collection. They were supplied a blue bin at a small one-off fee and once filled, residents could book a collection and the money landed in their bank accounts in as little as two or three weeks. 

Rockdale Return and Earn is just one of those businesses who have offered the service for free.

But not anymore!

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Each filled bin brings Aussies around a $20-30 cash refund.

New fee added to once-free bin collection service

Bayside residents who have been long, loyal customers have recently received a surprise invoice from the business, declaring that their once-free service will incur an annual fee.

A confused resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, caused a stir in a community group recently after they were ordered to pay $55 for their account. 

"I've been a customer for a few years and had purchased my blue bin as a once-off payment which included collections, so I was surprised when I received an invoice for an annual fee without prior notification, " they told Kidspot. 

Unsure what the invoice was, they reached out to others in their suburb to see if they had also received the same invoice. 

"At first I thought it was a scam. I understand costs of living are constantly on the rise across the board but with the new fee I'm now wondering whether it's worth it," the Aussie added. 

When Kidspot reached out further to local community groups across Bayside and other suburbs, all claimed that this was the first they had heard of the new fee. 

"I haven't received any email to say that they were introducing this new annual fee. Surely they can't just start charging without warning... it feels a bit sneaky," one shocked resident responded. 

"I have not received anything either. But I take the cans in myself when the bin gets full. I don't get it emptied by them," another added. 

"I checked my emails and haven't got anything from them yet," another confirmed. 

Even social media lit up with queries, which at the time of publication remained unanswered. 

"When did you guys start charging a $50 fee per year for bag collection? I've never been billed before and now have received an invoice. I hardly get anything back from my bags so there is no way I would have signed up to this if I had known," someone wrote on Facebook.

Image: Facebook

"Was great when the blue bins were free, now $100 or so. Not sure how much $$ you get back with a full bin..." another wrote. 

Many also agreed that if they now had to pay $55 for the service that usually gives them a $20-$30 refund, they weren't sure if the service would be worth it.

"Is that actually happening? I haven't received anything like this to say there's a new fee. If so, I don't think it's actually worth it," another mum said. 

Another added: "Yeah I won't be continuing if I have to pay. I don't drink that much to fill the bin more than twice a year!"

"It's a shame because if I don't have the blue bin, I don't know how bothered I'll be to actually go to a depot. Back in the yellow recycling bin everything goes - which seems like a step backwards in our recycling journey to be honest."

RELATED: Aussies are still sick of this frustrating bin act

So why don't customers know about it? 

When Kidspot reached out to Rockdale Return and Earn, who also have been charging residents through their Lane Cove branch for years with little backlash, they were adamant that they had communicated the introduction of the new fee with their customers via email.

While they recorded a 98% delivery rate in the email distribution, they were stumped to hear so many customers didn't receive it.

"The annual service fee is $50 + GST, which works out to less than $1 per week," co-owner Nat shared.

"The convenience of our collection service saves customers the time and expense of visiting a depot. Our six trucks servicing Rockdale Return and Earn travel widely across Sydney, incurring substantial costs in wages, tolls, fuel, and maintenance. We receive no council subsidies — we are a privately owned and operated family business."

Nat also highlighted that with the new annual fee, they are also able to improve their service with faster collection times, quicker repayments to customers, and dedicated customer support 5 days a week. 

"We understand that this is a new fee for Rockdale customers, but it is already standard for all new and Lane Cove Return and Earn customers, who have expressed their satisfaction with our service,"she added.

"We intentionally delayed introducing the fee for 12 months to focus on improving customer satisfaction following the previous ownership. The fee is for the upcoming 12 months therefore we have given existing Rockdale customers 12 months with no fee."

Many Bayside residents in NSW have been using the blue bin to store their bottles and cans for a refund and easy collection service. Image: Supplied

RELATED: Bin dilemma sparks heated debate

If you don't like it, opt out

According to a spokesperson from the Return and Earn head office, the fee is perfectly normal for a privately owned company to charge. 

"Return and Earn depots commonly charge for the services they provide. These charges cover the cost of the bins and ongoing bin collection services," they told Kidspot. 

If customers don't see the value in continuing the service, they can opt out. 

"The depot’s collection service is an opt-in, and the community are not required to make use of this. It is a contract between an individual customer and the local depot operator," they added. 

So what would that look like? According to Rockdale Return and Earn, cancelling your account is very easy and will not incur any extra costs. 

"If the customer feels the service isn’t viable for their usage, we’re more than happy to have a chat," Nat said.

"Customers who do not wish to continue can either return the bin and we can book a final collection or keep the bin as we are not going to cause issues by demanding a bin back.

"Ultimately, our goal is to support the Return and Earn scheme by making container recycling easy and efficient for our customers, and we are committed to delivering a high standard of service."

Originally published as Bin company responds to ‘sneaky’ new fee amid neighbourhood backlash