Editorial: Bottle refund a great project

Tauranga man Marty Hoffart is calling on the New Zealand Government to re-instate a cash-for-beverage container scheme in an effort to reinvigorate recycling. Photo / George Novak

Tauranga man Marty Hoffart is calling on the New Zealand Government to re-instate a cash-for-beverage container scheme in an effort to reinvigorate recycling.

I think it's a great idea. It would encourage people to recycle at no cost to them, the council or the Government.

As we reported yesterday, the InCENTive to Recycle report estimated a bottle refund incentive would cost the beverage industry half a cent per container. But it would increase beverage container recycling every year by 45,000 tonnes.

The move would create thousands of jobs and divert 180,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill - saving New Zealanders between $26 million and $40 million per year in waste disposal costs.

I think it would also be a great way to teach kids to recycle as well as teaching them the value of hard-earned money and saving.

When I was a kid I would have happily spent a few hours scrounging around for bottles to earn myself a few bucks.

And, for some people an extra few dollars may be all they need to make life that little bit easier.

I'm not convinced it will stop drunk teens from leaving bottles all over the beach but it will help.

One argument against the proposal is that such a scheme will encourage drink companies to use bottles which can't be recycled to avoid the refund cost.

I'm doubtful that in this day and age that would happen.

Corporate social responsibility is a major focus of many companies at the moment.

They want their brand name to be associated with ethical, responsible or socially beneficial practices.

It would not be good publicity for them to move towards using bottles that are not recyclable to avoid the small cost.

Sure, they may not back the idea but I would be surprised if they made moves to get out of the scheme.

It will encourage those who can't afford to pay for kerbside recycling or can't be bothered taking their recycling to the transfer station to start disposing of their waste responsibly.

I'm all for anything that will help us preserve our clean, green reputation for future generations.