Rubbish world’s biggest problem

Without doubt, the most critical problem facing our country (and the world) is rubbish. Every activity in life generates waste as a by-product. Every product that we use comes in some form of packaging that ends up as waste!

How do we deal with it? Currently landfills. Why is it not processed to recover all scrap metals and other materials such as glass, paper and cardboard?

We do a limited amount of recycling of those products, including some organic material. But we are just pussy-footing around the problem. Our country and the planet are headed for disaster unless we get serious. Waste has a direct connection with pollution of our environment. It is now urgent that central government sets up a new ministry to handle processing of waste. There is potential for a large employment sector by establishing recycling centres throughout the country. Such a ministry would have to have an R&D component to research issues of recovery and processing especially in plastics.

Of course there is a cost to all this - a cost that we all must bear. There has to be a tax introduced on all forms of packaging, applied at source of manufacture. Imported products would be subject to an import/packaging tax. The anti-tax brigade will be up in arms, but our current procrastination will only scorch our country and our planet. Can someone please explain to me why we need to slaughter 126,000 cattle when the illness does not prevent the beast’s meat or milk being fit for human consumption? Providing the animal is not in pain, I see no reason to carry out this draconian ‘‘remedy’’.

The result will be the elevation of the cost of replacement and total disruption to the industry.

We hear that there is only one country known for its primary production that is not affected by the disease and I am unsure how much Norway contributes to the world’s meat and milk total.

As a result of this wholesale slaughter what will happen to the retail cost of beef to the consumer?

So why the hurry to take the beasts to slaughter and try to eradicate the disease?

Could it be, and perish the thought, that some Kiwi egos want to be the allconquering heroes? But there again, what is the use?

All the other countries in the world are living and working with Mycoplasma bovis.

Just a thought.