Message on a bottle

A group campaigning for energy conservation and sustainable living is joining others sending a message on a (plastic) bottle to Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.

The associate minister for conservation has so far received about 100 plastic bottles at his Wellington office, as a symbolic drive for more action to reduce plastic waste.

It’s being headed by The Kiwi Bottle Drive and backed by groups like Transition Matamata in rural Waikato. They want government to reinstate the bottle deposit scheme, a national collec- Transition Matamata will be at the following information sites: Monday: NZ Post from 8.30am-2pm. Tuesday: Life Pharmacy, 10am-2pm. Wednesday: Paper Plus, 10am-2pm. Thursday: NewWorld, 10am-2pm. Friday: Countdown, 10am-2pm.

tion where people can deposit plastic bottles for 10 cents.

They also want to raise aware- ness of the damage plastic bottles inflict on oceans and waterways.

Transition Matamata member Colin Kemplen joined others by sending an empty plastic bottle, with his name and message on it, to the National MP’s office this week.

More are likely to be sent when the group holds its own awareness of the Kiwi Bottle Drive campaign, August 7-11. It will lead on to a bottle drive collection day, when people can swap an individual beverage bottle and aluminum can for 10 cents.

Scott Simpson confirmed plastic bottles had arrived at his office in the capital for several weeks.

‘‘I understand the symbolic nature of the campaign but I have to say that I would prefer to receive an email, rather than plastic bottles.

‘‘It’s much better for people to put the plastic bottles in the recycling bins and use the recycling facilities that are in place already.’’

Simpson said the bottles had been stored in a box in the corner of his office. He declined a request for a photo of the collection.

‘‘What I am going to do, when this campaign finishes, I will take the bottles to a recycling facility and dispose of them accordingly.’’ ing to promote responsible cat ownership and reduce cats’ environmental impact on wildlife.

However, territorial authority’s powers for cats were for minimising the impact on people’s health and wellbeing, and regional councils’ powers were restricted to destruction of feral cats as pests.

The remit sought the protection of wildlife and native species by regulatory powers for cat control.

Mayor Jan Barnes said the council voted no, as she didn’t see the Matamata-Piako had an issue with feral cats, which was where she felt the real issue was.

She disagreed on a cap on cat ownership.

‘‘It’s how you manage it. What is the right number? I don’t think we need a cap because we would have to enforce it and it would pass to the ratepayer.’’

She felt education about responsible cat ownership was key.