Support a WA Cash for Containers Scheme

[rolandp]

From WALGA's Support a WA Cash for Containers Scheme:
WA needs a Cash for Containers Scheme. The 2012 Keep Australia Beautiful National Litter Index identifies WA as having the highest volume of litter in the nation. Beverage containers make up 5 of the top 12 most littered items (KAB's Dirty Dozen) in WA.

Please "sign" the online partition. It won't stop the twits who deliberately throw glass onto the roads/paths, but it may reduce the amount casually thrown away which then gets picked up by the twit who deliberately throws it onto the road/path.

[blkmcs]

Done!
Thanks Roland.

[Marty619]

Maybe WA should do what SA do and offer 5c or 10c a bottle off if you return them to a bottlo for recycling. In the UK kids would go around their neighbourhood collecting old/ unwanted newspapers and magazines then take them to the recycling centre when they were paid by weight. I have been in WA for 4 and half years and have not yet seen any recycling areas ( bottle banks or paper banks) where the general public can dispose of there recyclable rubbish.

[GraemeL]

Maybe WA should do what SA do and offer 5c or 10c a bottle off if you return them to a bottlo for recycling. In the UK kids would go around their neighbourhood collecting old/ unwanted newspapers and magazines then take them to the recycling centre when they were paid by weight. I have been in WA for 4 and half years and have not yet seen any recycling areas ( bottle banks or paper banks) where the general public can dispose of there recyclable rubbish.

Back when I was a youngster, we used go around collecting bottles, that is how we got pocket money.

Graeme

[Aushiker]

It is a pity that these organisations cannot learn to work together.

Andrew

[John Lewis]

Maybe WA should do what SA do and offer 5c or 10c a bottle off if you return them to a bottlo for recycling. In the UK kids would go around their neighbourhood collecting old/ unwanted newspapers and magazines then take them to the recycling centre when they were paid by weight. I have been in WA for 4 and half years and have not yet seen any recycling areas ( bottle banks or paper banks) where the general public can dispose of there recyclable rubbish.

Back when I was a youngster, we used go around collecting bottles, that is how we got pocket money.

Graeme

Me too. Could also sell old newspapers to the shops for wrapping.

John

[moosterbounce]

10c for a coke tootle at the local deli netted a 10c bag of mixed lollies I always requested choc or caramel buds and no cobbers, much to the disgust of my sister. I wasn't going to get her favorites with my bottle money!!

Thanks to Graeme and John for my little amble down memory lane.

[Thoglette]

10c for a coke tootle at the local deli netted a 10c bag of mixed lollies

One of my recollections of Germany in the '90s was watching a pair of slightly under-the-weather local "lads" (think "spinal tap" meets "sound of music") very carefully nurse their crate of empties back back to the shop. Apparently enough money there for just a few more....

[Red Rider]

Email back from the Minister, I'm sure everyone received it:

Thank you for your email dated 9 December 2012 regarding the establishment of a container deposit scheme to reduce litter in Western Australia.

The Western Australian Government has been working with other jurisdictions to investigate the potential for a national container deposit scheme, and other measures, to address packaging waste impacts through the Standing Council on Environment and Water. In December 2011, the Standing Council released a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) to explore a limited number of measures that have the potential to increase packaging resource recovery rates and decrease packaging litter. The Standing Council received hundreds of submissions from industry, environment groups, the community and local governments on the Consultation RIS, strongly supporting further action to address the environmental impacts of packaging waste and litter.

At the Standing Council's meeting on 24 August 2012, Environment Ministers agreed to develop a Decision RIS to undertake a more detailed analysis, including regional and other distributional impacts. In response to the consultation feedback, the Standing Council agreed that the following three further options, not considered in the Consultation RIS, be included in the Decision RIS:
• an industry co-regulatory stewardship scheme focussing on beverage containers only;
• an approach similar to the Australian Packaging Covenant, with a substantial increase in industry funding for initiatives; and
• a container deposit model based on the South Australian system.

Western Australia has a number of initiatives to reduce illegal dumping and litter, including the creation of a new offence of dumping waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1986, with increased penalties to deter illegal dumping, and changes to the Litter Act 1979, which commenced in November 2012 to increase penalties for littering. More information about these and other initiatives is available on the Keep Australia Beautiful Western Australia website at www.kabc.wa.gov.au.

On 6 March 2012, I launched the Western Australian Waste Strategy "Creating the Right Environment", which outlines priorities and strategic objectives for the next decade to reduce waste to landfill and increase recycling. The Government has also been active in improving the recovery of packaging waste in Western Australia with grants awarded to operators of innovative glass packaging waste recycling systems. You can find more about these and similar initiatives by visiting the Waste Authority website at www.zerowaste.wa.gov.au or the Australian Packaging Covenant website at www.packagingcovenant.org.au.

Once the national process has been completed and its findings have been assessed, the Government will determine any requirement for further actions to ensure an effective and efficient outcome is achieved on the management of packaging waste in Western Australia.

I appreciate your interest in this matter and trust this information is of assistance.

They are certainly taking a very detailed approach. I would be surprised if something did not come of it.

[Thoglette]

They are certainly taking a very detailed approach. I would be surprised if something did not come of it.

More committees? More (in)feasibilty studies? I hope not.

[Aushiker]

Email back from the Minister, I'm sure everyone received it:

Yep, received the same response.

Andrew

[Aushiker]

An interesting test of the scheme was undertaken by the City of Vinent ...

To help demonstrate how valuable this breed of recycling is and to further push container deposit legislation, Vincent offered a ‘Cash for Cans’ scheme to its local primary schools. All six primary schools jumped on board, receiving 10 cents a can (up to the value of $2,000), from September through to December.

Results at the City of Vincent website.

Andrew