Deposit on bottles revisited
by John Jones. 20 December, 2005 Gisborne Herald
BRINGING back a deposit for returned bottles could prevent New Zealand from ending up with a broken glass mountain, Gisborne District Council was told.
Motueka man Duncan Eddy of Community Action for People and the Planet asked the council to join the Nelson City Council in supporting the proposal.
Efforts to recycle glass had paid off and Kiwis had proven keen to do their bit for the planet. Unfortunately, recycling glass was no longer economically viable, he said.
It was not long ago that bottles could be returned for a few cents to be washed and reused. This was the cornerstone of a simple and effective waste reduction scheme. Had bottle deposits been retained, the glass recycling crisis would not have happened.
Reintroducing it would offer a common sense solution to the problem.
It would encourage participation in waste reduction drastically cut the burden on recycling facilities and landfills and he did not think there would too many discarded or broken bottles lying around the streets.
Councillors were generally in support of the proposal. A recommendation to support the concept was adopted.