Parents present plastic petition
Hamilton parents want to recycle more plastic types and plan to lobby their city council to make changes.
Currently, the Hamilton City Council recycles plastic numbers one and two but that could change as the council looks to renew its recycling contract.
People have until November 19 to have their say on matter via the 2018-2024 Waste Management and Minimisation Plan.
As a father, Troy Kelly was worried about what the environment will be like for his children.
‘‘I’m concerned about these ones, I don’t have too many more years to go, but you can’t leave the next generation with a mess to clean up,’’ Kelly said.
‘‘That’s what’s happened to us anyway. The last few generations have just been leaving us a mess to clean up and I think it’s time to start trying to do something about it.’’
Kelly and his wife have started a petition to get the council to recycle more plastic numbers, it currently has 460 signatures.
They plan to present the petition to the council.
The council’s current kerbside collection service was with Waste Management, but in March council decided to put the contact, and level of service, out to tender.
The process was still underway but the council’s waste miniminsation adviser Charlotte Catmur said council would make announcements on any decisions in early in 2018.
Hamilton residents recycle 29 per cent of their waste, sending 120,099 tonnes of waste to landfill each year.
Catmur said there was more Hamilton could do to raise that percentage.
‘‘There’s paper that’s still being put in black bags and also the other thing is food waste,’’ she said.
‘‘So there’s definitely things we can do in the short term before the new contract comes into place.’’
She said the issue was with education and council was currently working on a programme that would help residents.
‘‘We’re actually working on an education programme that will be going out to reinforce what can currently happen in Hamilton, and why we should be doing the right thing,’’ Catmur said.
-Emelyn McHardy, is a Wintec journalism student.