Many charities conduct aluminium can drives because they can cash in the aluminium content at metal recycling stations. All the other types of drink containers have no cash value and consequently we see them discarded on beaches, parks and in a host of other places. So far, only South Australia has implemented a very successful cash bounty return on all forms of drink merchandise.
Next July that sort of scheme will be rolled out in New South Wales. It will apply to glass bottles, steel, aluminium or plastic drink containers for any type of liquid which carry the CDS logo - standing for " Container Deposit Scheme ".
The government envisages that the cash return point will be the metal recycling industry but expect there will be numerous " reverse option " machines in shopping centres. That will probably involve each container passed into the machine activating a count and issueing the customer a receipt - to be redeemed through the banking system.
It is expected that the price of all take away drinks will increase by at least ten cents, but the drink manufacturing industry may need to recover administrative costs and that impost may be higher. Participation is not optional and the legislation will be all embracing.
It is hoped that this scheme will bring a welcome social change. Perhaps we will curb our habit of littering when each drink container has added value, but many people will continue to dispose of what they term " trash " in the yellow topped recycling wheelie bins - and that will certainly get the attention of local councils.
Often the sorting and recovery of the contents of wheelie bins is at best marginal. The bonus of ten cents from each can or bottle recovered may tip the balance. Even needy families may continue to dump drink containers in the wheelie bin rather than go to the trouble of cashing them in and it seems certain that the charity industry collecting aluminium cans will widen their scope to take advantage of the new opportunities offering.
We may be entering a new " battlefield " situation where a host of competing charities vie to enhance their funds and at the same time the council recycling system gets new life because the injection of drink container deposits makes them profitable.
This " cash for cans and bottles " scheme in this state comes at an opportune time. Many householders are experiencing " donor fatigue " at the avalanche of letters appealing for donations passing through their letterboxes - and this at a time when the postage cost has just jumped to a dollar a letter.
It seems that the charity appeal industry has engaged professional marketing people to use their skills to upgrade presentation and in many cases include a gift to soften hearts. The sheer volume has caused many to question what amount of any donation made goes to " administration " to fund the appeal campaign, rather than finding it's way to what the charity is hoping to achieve.
Perhaps this bonus from cans and bottles will be divisive, separating those charities that sit back and send out mass letter appeals from those prepared to lose a little sweat to actively earn the funds that they need.
Turning yesterdays trash into tomorrows fortune opens up a whole new world. To the clever and innovative - it spells " Opportunity !
No comments:
Post a Comment