|
Campaign for Container Deposit Legislation in
New Zealand
Some of the Economic, Social and
Environmental Advantages of CDL are listed below:
High Recovery and Recycling Rates
Recovery rates for containers are far
higher in places that have CDL than those that rely on voluntary packaging
accords or covenants. Recovery rates of from 70%-90% and even higher are
common with CDL – compared to New Zealand container recovery rates of, at
most, 53%.
CDL Reduces Landfill Volumes and Costs
CDL greatly reduces the number of
containers sent to landfill, thus reducing costs to the community and
preserving precious landfill space.
Eleven
states in the USA, most Canadian provinces, many European nations and one
state in Australia have enacted CDL, mostly in response to the
explosive increase in disposable one-way cans and bottles. Many other
countries and municipalities are now considering introducing CDL as they
find (as we are in New Zealand) that existing measures, such as voluntary
industry-led accords, do not work.
CDL Creates New Jobs
Over 600 local people are employed in
South Australia’s CDL programme, many in the 60 or so collection depots,
which are run by private businesses, councils or groups such as the Boy
Scouts. A 2005 study by
Envision estimated that at least 1700 new
jobs full and part time jobs could be created in New Zealand with the
introduction of CDL. Many of these jobs would be entry level jobs exposing
new job seekers to a wide range of new opportunities in the growing
recycling sector.
CDL reduces litter
Litter is another big cost to local
authorities and ratepayers. In fact South Australia’s CDL programme was
introduced in 1975 simply to reduce litter. South Australia is now widely
recognised as the tidiest state in Australia.
CDL provides community groups with funding
A growing concern is the reliance
community groups have on pokie funding.
CDL would
provide an alterative funding source for community groups, which would
assist in shifting the reliance of our communities away from proceeds that
come from the most harmful form of gambling.
If CDL was
to be introduced into New Zealand, an estimated $300,000
would be injected into the social economy every day of the year. A
significant proportion of these funds will be available to innovative social
sector groups that are prepared to organise and find ways to capture a share
of the beverage containers in their communities.
Additionally not for profit groups could set up community recycling centres
where the containers would be redeemed by the public and sent on to markets
for processing. The scouts in South Australia operate 7 of the 110 or so
recycling centres, each of which turn over approximately $1million per
annum.
 Find
out more:
Zero Waste New Zealand have info on CDL.
more
Envision
New Zealand have produced a booklet entitled 'Getting
Serious About Packaging Waste'.
read more (pdf file)
Based on one beverage container consumed per person per day and a 10 cent
deposit and refund and assuming a 75% recovery rate.
|
