Tasmanians can have cake and eat it too

David Singh says the state government is right on track with its plans for Tasmania’s first recycling process

THE public tit-for-tat on Tasmania’s upcoming Container Refund Scheme is starting to lose sight of what the scheme should be about — Tasmanians.

Tasmanians should be able to recycle their containers and be rewarded for doing so in a way that makes sense locally, not by taking a cookie-cutter approach from the mainland.

That means bringing the best of existing programs and tailoring them to what the community wants in

Tasmania, with appropriate governance and opportunities for Tasmanians to donate to community groups and charities as part of the process.

The question is not whether container return rates or social and community involvement in running container return locations are more important.

The question is how will Tasmania make the most of the environmental benefits of recycling and reduced litter, while also benefiting the community through new jobs and new revenue for charity and community groups.

Return-It is the biggest operator of container refund depots across Australia, working across the Australian Capital Territory, NSW, Queensland and West Australia.

While the way we run our sites differ to meet local needs wherever we operate, the one thing that is the same — no matter where people are located is that they are receiving 10c for every eligible container.

The Tasmanian government was rightly concerned in getting the best governance model to ensure the long-term success of its scheme. It’s made a good choice with the “split responsibility” model, bringing together all key stakeholders without handing all the power to one group or another.

This decision and approach, will give Tasmania the best chance at a system which meets the needs of the communities it operates in. People need to be put at the heart of this scheme.

It will also be important to ensure Tasmania does not end up with a two-speed container deposit scheme.

As many people as possible, from right across the state — from Hobart to Burnie to Bicheno and Strahan — should be able to access new

container return locations.

Systems which work in major cities of populous states, will not necessarily translate in Tasmania.

Remember, the goal is to change behaviour and get bottles and cans into recycling instead of being tossed as litter — if the regional return points are not in place, more bottles will end up in local parks, rivers and lakes, while local charities and groups miss out on vital donations.

All Tasmanians deserve a first-class system.

A diverse and inclusive model with a range of technologies, not a one-sizefits-all approach.

So what does that look like in a practical sense?

It means encouraging the kids to earn pocket money while teaching them about recycling by going to a depot where they feed bottles and cans onto a conveyor and walk out with cash in hand.

Don’t feel like talking to depot staff today? Then drop and go options that are open 24/7 would be a great solution.

Just want to clear the garage after last week’s party? You’ll want staff to tip your containers into a bulk counting machine for rapid service.

Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it too. And that’s just what the model proposed by the Tasmanian Government does.

Tasmania should learn from the best aspects of the ACT, NSW, Queensland, WA, South Australia the Northern Territory and the rest of the world, but set up a scheme that suits Tasmanian communities.

Why have high return rates or great social involvement, when you can have both?

David Singh is managing director of Re.Group, and has been a recycling industry leader for more than 20 years