As anyone trying to cash in their aluminium cans for cash can tell you, the festive season is the busiest time of the year for the Return and Earn machines.
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Throughout the Illawarra, people have reported machines full-up with beer cans draining during the Christmas-New Year period.
It's something the Environment Protection Authority gears up for each year.
"Drink container returns across NSW follow a seasonal pattern throughout the year, which reflects season consumption habits," a spokesman said.
"Return and Earn anticipates an up to 40 per cent higher volume of returns during the Christmas and New Year period compared to winter."
The spokesman also provided the tip that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the quietest days, either before 10am or after 2pm.
People can check the live feed on the Return and Earn website to see if the machine at their preferred return point is full or not.
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