Recycle Rewards has just got better with the state's first fully off-grid Reverse Vending Machine in Campbell Town.
TOMRA Cleanaway CEO James Dorney said the system ran entirely on solar power, making it completely independent of the local electricity grid.
"We're proud to deliver an estimated annual energy saving of 9000 kilowatt-hours, cutting around seven tonnes of CO emissions, which is equivalent to driving 28,688km," Mr Dorney said.
"The innovative installation, located in Campbell Town, uses solar panels that produce around 6.4 kilowatts of power to run the RVM as well as charging three additional batteries."
The machine's batteries store around 11 kilowatt-hours of usable energy, which means they can keep the system running, even when the sun isn't shining.
Mr Dorney said the technology included real-time monitoring and reporting, with active alerts for battery levels, energy generation, consumption and RVM usage.
Campbell Town IGA manager Sunny Bhaskar said local residents really appreciated the installation of the vending machine.
"It's creating a win-win for both customers and the business," Mr Bhaskar said.
"They are shopping and taking care of the environment at the same time."
Mr Bhaskar said waste was universal and all businesses should have Recycle Rewards in their car park.
Although the machine was on the supermarket site, TOMRA Cleanaway used its own solar panels to run the system.
Vanessa Riley and her partner moved from Melbourne after COVID-19 to take over the local pub, which was across the road from the recycle scheme.
"We are absolutely rapt to have the recycling scheme across the road," Ms Riley said.
"As you can imagine, in a pub we go through a lot of cans and bottles. We have bags and bags to be recycled, so that's awesome for us to be able to do that."
The couple said they were really excited to be able to help other local business owners.