Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. It doesn't matter who buys that soft drink or hamburger on the NSW North Coast. Eventually the throw-away bottle, styrofoam box or paper bag will be disposed of in landfill, using the resources of local government and money collected from local ratepayers.
So why is it that the manufacturers of food and drink are not responsible for the enduring forms of packaging that they use?
That bottle or styrofoam container lasts well beyond its immediate purpose, and either litters our streets or adds to our landfill refuse volume.
Clean Up Australia's Ian Keirnan has the right idea when he calls for the introduction of a national drinks container refund scheme.
It has always been frustrating to watch the successful refund scheme operating in South Australia and know that there was no such scheme available to us on the North Coast.
"The organisation's annual rubbish report, for 2006-07 "showed nearly 40 per cent of the 8000 tonnes of rubbish collected on Clean Up Australia Day was used drink bottles and cans.
Chairman Ian Kiernan said climate change meant Australia had to change its ways, with recycling reform an important part of that."
So how about it, Prime Minister Rudd, are you up to tackling the multinationals over packaging rubbish?
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