This is an inspiring story of dedication to clean up the NZ environment and create new jobs. The proverbial Kiwi win/win situation. Yet, Zero Waste has to be a NZ wide Government sanctioned mantra if we are to get on top of our pollution challenges.
Being a staunch advocate of recycling for most of my life that when talking to Warren, I concur that to get the Powers that Be to make recycling mandatory - nationwide - has to become an election issue - so as to show the younger generation that adults do care for our children’s future.
Warren and friends have just launched the Great Kiwi Bottle Drive
www.kiwibottledrive.nz
Where the small town and community of Kaitaia in the Far North recycled 20,000 bottles and cans in 4 hours. Exceeding expectations -
Where at the Kaitaia market - many people supported this ideal - with a very community spirited input.
Children were involved - many very young and it was heartwarming to receive their bottles and give the kiddies some money in return.
They filled a large curtain-side truck with empties. People cleaned up streets, roads, harbours and beaches and their uncles back yards and brought all the empty containers to get a refund.
Now this initiative is heading South to more towns and communities throughout the whole of NZ. Parliament being one of the stops.
With the idea of creating up to 2,500 plus jobs, savings for Councils, money for families and community groups. Including almost tripling our recycling rates with over 1 billion bottles saved from landfill, streets and our oceans!
Cash for container schemes - are going well around the world however NZ is lagging behind world opinion. Warren's team are about to change this!
Glass, aluminium and all plastic containers, plus the cardboard juice and milk containers need to have a deposit paid so that the loop is closed when they come back full circle to be either reused, or broken down and made into another item, or product.
‘Reuse’ stores are now popping up in communities here in NZ especially with clothes that have been outgrown etc.
Warren says that the police have mentioned that recycling depots helps keep kids off the street and involved in an active cause.
There is a very good Zero Waste program that Maori are involved in on marae throughout Aotearoa NZ. http://parakore.maori.nz/news/
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/parakore
FB page has many members – and it’s about growing the awareness
https://theconversation.com/five-golden-rules-to-help-solve-your-recycling-dilemmas-65552
We have to get serious with our waste!
Warren states that Recycling is not enough – that we have to embrace ‘product stewardship’ or 'extended producer responsibility' where the producer of a product has to be responsible for the whole life cycle of their products.
The New Zealand Product Stewardship Council http://www.nzpsc.nz/
Has to be supported and understood.
At present South Australia leads the way in Australasia with a very enlightened approach that has been in practice for over 40 years.
Waste in NZ Landfills.
Here in our country -186,000 cubic meters of space is taken up by bottles and cans etc thrown out in NZ each year.
Nearly 200 metres high by 200 metres long and 200 metres in width.
All this is potential money, being thrown away!
Call to Action
What works around the world is “refundable bottle deposits”
Warren and team are pushing for a national deposit bottle scheme however, the packaging and beverage industry have successfully lobbied against one for 25 years … or more. This is why we have bottles, cans and containers scattered all over our clean green country image!
New Zealand would have had a bottle deposit system over 20 years ago if it were not for the packaging and beverage industry lobbying against it.
Also there is e waste – tires and batteries that have to be factored into dealing with this vexing problem of waste.
Little do New Zealander’s know that we already have container deposit legislation – that was under the Labour Government's Waste Minimisation Act 2008
Where the Minister can declare a product a ‘priority product’ for a product stewardship program – a mandatory one - like for tires, e-waste, batteries but the National led Government Ministry has made them all voluntary and it is not working – because … Listen to this startling interview to find out the reason why?
NZ used to be ahead in so many sectors of the Environment and ecology - etc , but now we are well behind.
Bottle banks – what happened to them? Listen to this!
www.recycle.co.nz click on the half crushed and you can read:
"Compared to other developed countries, NZ has a vague and scattered approach to achieving zero-waste status. This website aims to help us recognise and address the problems before it is too late.”
What a whopper of a statement!
Nowhere in the world are they getting more than 40% without having a bottle deposit scheme
Recently at the last local government annual conference in support of DDS Container Deposit System - 90% of Councils agreed to have a deposit scheme set up on all waste containers here in NZ . Plus a recent survey of NZ said 91% of NZers wanted it.
But the lobbyists have been going around all the mayors and sowing discord …
The narrative has been twisted to suit the status quo - time and time again, we have government by lobbyists (Shades of the USA)
Lobbyists Undermining the Political Will.
Learn about how NZ breweries and Cola producers fight tooth and nail not to have a deposit system here in NZ and also Australia – (an eye opener)
Listen to the down right deceitfulness and lies in this battle against the drink giants as they target and discredit good honest people doing their best to enable a cash deposit to be gained from returning of containers after use.
Now Northern Territory in Australia has adopted CDS and also New South Wales and Queensland – so the whole of Australia is coming on board except NZ.
Because of the big breweries and soft drink manufacturers!
See who the major culprit is … (No wonder I have not gone out and purchased their unhealthy sugar products for over 40 years.- I was correct! Tim)
Plastics in the Global Ocean!
Microbeads what are they? Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than five millimeters in their largest dimension. They are most frequently made of polyethylene but can be of other petrochemical plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene.
Microbeads have become so ubiquitous that an estimated 808 trillion pieces swirl down American drains every day.
They are now floating in the water column everywhere at different levels – when containers fall off ships – toxic chemicals and micro particles of plastic are 10 or 20 times more than the amount of plankton in certain parts of the ocean – fish eat them … This is a terrible story that needs action at every level of Government, in countries that have shores or outlets to the sea.
We are overloading our world and particularly the oceans with plastic.
Today many small groups in NZ are coming together and are putting in for waste and recycling contracts – most are holistic thinkers and co-operatives. They are community oriented and believe that by thinking locally they can achieve many good things for their localised environment. Raglan is one such community.
Kiwbottledrive.nz sign the petition – please …
https://www.nationofchange.org/2017/05/30/snake-vomiting-bottle-highlights-worlds-plastic-problem/
I enjoyed this interview, because Warren showed what we the people can do and it was very enlightening because we now know where the challenges lie and that we need to commit to organise. By taking action we can bring about a major change in policy to get NZ up there as a leader in conservation, and environmental concerns.