Friday marked two weeks since the scheme, dubbed Return and Earn, began operating as part of a government-led initiative to cut the amount of litter ending up in the environment.

The region’s machines – in Wollongong, Fairy Meadow and Bulli – collected about 170,000 containers between December 1 and Thursday.

Figures provided by the state government show the reverse vending machine (RVM) at Fairy Meadow Woolworths was the city’s most popular cash-in location. Almost 70,000 containers were returned via the machine during those 14 days.

Read more: The containers that’ll get you a 10c refund and where to take them

The Wollongong RVM – on the Stewart Street side of the city’s Woolworths store – collected more than 67,000 in the same period, while the machine at Woolworths Bulli collected more than 33,000.

Additional RVMs have recently been rolled out at Woolworths stores in Corrimal and Shellharbour.

All the Illawarra machines operate seven days a week, from 7am until 10pm.

The RVMs are complemented by over-the-counter collection points at Vinnies stores across the region. 

The scheme gives people a 10-cent refund for most drink containers between 150ml and three litres in volume.

More than five million containers have been returned across the state in just under two weeks.

On average, more than 400,000 containers have been returned each day, with 500,000 returned on December 10.

“This is just the start – the scheme will make a massive difference by reducing litter in our environment,” NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said.

Data released earlier this month revealed most of the containers returned via RVMs statewide during the scheme’s first week were aluminium (53 per cent) and glass (24 per cent). 

The program has been heavily criticised because of associated beer and soft drink prices rises.

The government was also attacked in Parliament over the slow rollout of collection points and reverse vending machines.