Stop mucking around, get serious about recycling, give kids a chance to be enterprising.
Concern for the footprint we are leaving on the environment should mean a national container deposit scheme is an obvious solution.
Every park, every creek, every neighbourhood, has hundreds of dollars waiting to be claimed by enterprising children being paid 10 cents for every container they send for recycling.
It works in South Australia and in other countries so it can work across the nation.
If it is too hard to reward individuals for cleaning up the rubbish left by others it should be organised through schools wanting extra cash for worthwhile projects.
If schools provide well sorted recycling theywould be paid per kilo but at the equivalent of 10 cents per container.
Recycling through schools will benefit children with practical skills for life. It will reduce the potential for conflict as individuals scavenge or take containers collected by others.
Neighbours could support their local school by dropping in bags of cans, bottles and packaging.
Regular surprise audits of how schools are recycling - with cash grants for those caught doing the right thing would entrench the value of recycling right.
Children would take the message of conserving resources home and police their parents into doing the right thing.
The scheme could be paid through a combinaton of GST, volumes sold by distributors of products that require packaging and ongoing audits of parks and streets.
An audit team could identify and reward manufacturers actively working to reduce wasteful packaging.
Packaging that is judged harmful to the environment should attract a higher rate of reward, paid by those who use those unnecessary materials to wrap up their product.
80% of cans collected would belong to Coke, 10% to other manufacturers, 3% water bottles and milk containers, 3% plastic bags and store packaging, 4% in some areas would belong to McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, Red Rooster and fast food outlets. (from my very scientific studies over several years!!!)
Food and toy products promoted for children are becoming even more hideous in the amount of crazy packaging despite efforts of companies like Visy to encourage greater responsibility.
I really admire what Visy is doing at their recycling facility at Gibson Island.
Brisbane City Council link to video of Gibson Island will go here ...
If you can get a school or community group to visit their education facility and participate in a tour it will inspire you that getting it right in your recycling bin is worthwhile.
(Year Five students and older get to participate in a stunning tour ... bit smelly some days but that is a small price to pay and reinforces why recycling right is so important ... what if it was your brother/father/friend working there serving the community.)
It seems common sense that rewarding children to recycle will solve a major problem in public areas and promote the exciting attitude change of leaving the world a better place than how we found it when we arrived.
At major events, rewarding children to collect containers and packaging would have the area cleaned up in no time and save the problem of beer containers being thrown around.
(Insert here : fond memories hunting bottles at the Ekka to get an extra ride or show bag ...)
While I would never be allowed to run around dressed as a beer bottle to draw extra attention it is encouraging that Senator Steve Fielding tries to keep Container Deposits on the agenda.
He has a wealth of material on his website.
http://www.stevefielding.com.au/html/CDL.htm
One of the best media stories on NCD remains Ticky Fullerton's Four Corners story several years ago. I will put the link here soon or search the amazing archives of ABC TV.
I am happy to chat to other advocates of container deposits. Phil Young 0421 796 922
Congratulations Paul Tully for putting your influence behind the push for recycling as reported in his local Quest newspaper ...
http://springfield-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/tully-heads-recycle-push/
IPSWICH Councillor Paul Tully wants container deposit legislation implemented across Queensland. A spokesman for Queensland Consumer Watch, Cr Tully is campaigning for the State Government to implement the program which would give consumers financial compensation when they return empty drink bottles and cans to recycling centres.
His campaign follows the South Australian Government this month increasing their container deposit to 10c per drink container.
“We have a clean city but it’s not uncommon to see litter,” he said. “In South Australia, they have a recycling rate of 80 per cent, and that’s double the national figure.”
Cr Tully said it was the responsibility of drink companies to promote CDL, which would attract consumers to recycle.
“Lots of people just shove bottles into rubbish bins,” Cr Tully said.
“This can provide an incentive to reduce that and give children a chance to make some money.”
Springfield News (end)
I did not realise Cr Tully is the longest serving Councillor (and stirrer) in Queensland, a fierce advocate for a range of issues in the community.
More reports by Cr Tully on CDL
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