Nats to trash public recycling bins

The Green Party is dismayed to learn from sources that the National-Act-Maori Government is planning to eliminate funding to the ‘Love NZ’ public recycling bins in the 2009/10 Budget.

Green Co-Leader Russel Norman is calling on the Government to honour the original commitment to maintain financial support for the scheme until next year.

From July 2010 income from the waste levy will be available as an alternative funding stream.

The ‘LoveNZ’ public recycling bins are being progressively introduced into high foot traffic areas and key tourist locations as part of the joint central and local government ‘Recycling in Public Places Initiative’. It was planned that 200 LoveNZ bins were to be installed each year over three years with central government funding to service the bins until June 2010.

“Cutting support to public recycling is a stupid and short sighted move that will increase waste to landfill while further undermining our billion dollar ‘100% Pure’ brand,” says Dr. Norman.

“Let’s remember the bins were introduced specifically in response to complaints from international tourists about the absence of public recycling facilities in supposedly ‘clean and green’ New Zealand. At a time when the tourist industry is already in trouble why make things harder?

“Around twenty councils have already made ongoing commitments to service the recycling bins with some councils signing contracts with servicing firms that can’t be revoked just because central government has been overtaken by anti-environmental parties.

“The Government should honour the original commitment to provide support for installing and servicing the bins until June 2010. At that point the waste to landfill levy established under the Greens’ Waste Minimisation Act starts up which will create an income stream that could be available to support the Recycling in Public Places Initiative.

“National’s environmental credentials are already in tatters after their attacks on the Emission Trading Scheme, the abolition of the sustainable biofuels obligation, the abolition of the renewable electricity generation preference, the abolition of the Greens billion dollar home insulation program, the removal of the lighting energy efficiency standard and their plans to weaken the Resource Management Act. Surely that’s enough environmental vandalism for the first 100 days?

“It’s time for the Tourism Minister to tell his Environment Minister to stop undermining our international reputation.”