Swapping plastic for cash in Tauranga

Get paid for dropping off your plastic at 184 Cameron Road. File Photo.

All across the country, people will be taking part in a day of action to ‘turn the tide on plastic'.

This is part of a wider campaign run by ocean plastics group The Kiwi Bottle Drive, asking the government to introduce a cash-for-trash bottle deposit scheme as a solution to plastic pollution.

Publicity and outreach events will be taking place in big city centre and small community hubs, exchanging plastic bottles for 20c refunds.

Organiser Rowan Brooks says a bottle deposit scheme is key to changing how we thing about waste.

'If drink bottles and cans have value it'll stop them ending up in the sea.

'We're calling on all Kiwis to do their bit to bring in this tool to stop plastic pollution. As well as finding a pop up event, people are signing and sharing our petition with their colleagues, family and friends.

'The nationwide day-of-action is a fun way to bring awareness to this issue, groups will be out in public places, promoting the petition while giving passers-by a chance to get cash back for something otherwise considered trash.”

Campaign coordinator Holly Dove says bottle deposits are already popular with the public.

'There's huge support for this amongst Kiwis who either fondly remember collecting bottles for pocket money as kids, or have been impressed by the effectiveness of schemes they've seen on holidays, in places like Germany.

'We want to get this system back in a modern form, it'll look after our ocean, clean the street and help our communities fundraise, like the Scouts used to do with bottle drives in the 80's,” says Holly.

'People can take part from anywhere in the country, they can share photos of bottles and cans they find littering the street and share on social media using our hashtag #cashfortrash.

'There are tons of ways to help out and we encourage everyone, from wherever you are in New Zealand to join us,” she says.

To get involved and get paid for your plastic bottles, head to 184 Cameron Road between 10am and 12pm today.

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1 comment

Mark Watchman.

Posted on 27-11-2018 09:50 | By Mark Watchman

Great idea. Every item of anything that is sold should have a packaging surcharge with a refund offered at collection points . For example add 20c to a packet of cigarettes with a refund value of empty pack of say 15c. 2l plastic fiz bottles charge 30c packaging surcharge with a 20c refund paid. Win win. You will have children now collecting all packaging that is now looked on as rubbish. No more litter around the countryside and children now making money as we used to with glass drink bottles in the 60's and 70's. Mark Watchman.


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