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Local Government calls for Container Deposit Legislation (CDL)31 May 2002
In the lead up to World Environment Day, Local Government is mounting a campaign to have the recommendations of the recently released Independent Review of CDL in NSW implemented. "World Environment Day provides an ideal opportunity for the Government to act positively and implement the Inquiry recommendations by introducing CDL in NSW," said Councillor Peter Woods OAM, President of the Local Government Association. "On behalf of all NSW councils and their communities, we are calling on the State Government to act on the recommendations of this Inquiry immediately. CDL is essential to address serious ongoing litter problems and the blow out in cost of kerbside recycling systems imposed on councils and local communities." As a Councillor of Canada Bay City Council, Cr Woods stated: "I'm sick of the constant pile of bottles along the foreshore of our otherwise beautiful harbour and the expense of cleaning debris, largely bottles, out of the costly interception devices in our stormwater channels." President of the Shires Association, Cr Mike Montgomery, highlighted the financial difficulties faced by councils in rural NSW in struggling to establish or maintain kerbside recycling systems, while multinational beverage and packaging companies sat on record profits year after year. "Our advice to councils is 'don't start or renew kerbside systems unless it is at least cost neutral'," asserted Cr Montgomery. "The roadsides of rural NSW are strewn with worthless empty bottles. This simply doesn't happen in South Australia, where each bottle is worth five cents and 90 per cent of bottles are returned to depots intact for recycling. Our return rates in NSW are as low as 29 per cent. The case for CDL is absolutely clear." CDL has operated successfully in South Australia for 25 years. It operates in many countries in Europe and states of the USA and it is spreading to other parts of the world (most recently Israel and Hawaii). The Local Government and Shires Associations will be conducting a CDL 'refund stall' in Sydney's Martin Place (between Castlereagh and Elizabeth Streets) on World Environment Day on Wednesday, 5 June from noon until 2pm. Mayors and councillors, together with supportive members of State Parliament, will offer the public hundreds of dollars in refunds for their empty drink containers. The final report of the Independent Review of Container Deposit Legislation in NSW by Dr Stuart White, Institute for Sustainable Futures, is available at www.isf.uts.edu.au/CDL_Report/. For further information: For comment: |
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| © 2005 City & County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services. | |||||||||||||||
