Mr Veitch accused the Berejiklian-Barilaro government of botching the rollout of the initiative, too.

As part of the scheme, the price of cans and bottles will rise by approximately 10 cents. 

Consumers then need to get to a return the cans for a 10-cent refund. 

Less than 20 vending machines have been installed with less than two weeks till the start of the scheme.

“This is a far cry from the promise of 800 machines across 500 collection points the government said they would deliver,” Mr Veitch said.

“Under questioning in the Parliament this week, the minister was unable to provide details of other planned locations. 

“Minister Upton vowed that 85 per cent of more than 500 collection sites would up and running by December 1 – but this has since been downgraded to suggest that only ‘a majority’ of collection points may be in place by the start date. 

“Now it looks like the government won’t deliver on anywhere near that amount, with Minister Upton refusing to provide anyone with a confirmed list of collection points. “

The Container Deposit Scheme in NSW is called ‘Return and Earn’ and aims to help reduce litter in NSW by 40 per cent by 2020. 

The EPA estimates that about 300 million containers a month will be recovered by the scheme, which entitles consumers to a 10 cent refund on every returned can or bottle. 

Containers make up 44 per cent of all litter in NSW. 

 “With less than two weeks remaining until the start of the scheme, the people across the region are still in the dark about where they will be able to take their empty containers for a 10-cent refund,” Mr Veitch said.

“This government has managed to turn a good idea into a complete farce. 

“A case of beer or a carton of soft drink will be going up by as much as $4 – yet country people again are going to be disadvantaged needing to travel great distances to get a few dollars back in return. 

“The community just wants to know – where can I take my cans and bottles for a refund?”