Can someone please pass this onto the powers that be? I hate to do the 1001 comparisons between Canada and the UK but there is one thing in Canada that I really like. This morning my mum put her bins out…she has two; one for rubbish and the other for recycling. In the UK, I have 5 bins; one for rubbish, one for compost, one for glass, one for paper and one for tins. Our drive barely has enough room for a car. Trying to remember which week is which and forever being stuck behind the Lorries drives me mad!
The reason why she only has two bins is because….
Everyone pays a deposit on bottles and tins, approximately 10 cents per can/bottle. It does vary. Some may panic and see it as another tax but in fact if you get off your lazy arse and take the recycling back you get your money back. We always use the money to buy more beer! I think it’s fantastic that people are being rewarded for doing good. I honestly think more people would engage in recycling if we had a similar incentive.
When we were kids it wasn’t uncommon to have bottle drives to fundraise for sports teams etc. You would knock on people’s door and they would gladly part with their empties. Plus, if you’re in town and don’t want to litter you can put your tin beside a bin and a homeless person will take it. It’s a win win for everyone!
I’m not sure how heavily subsidized the program is but I think it’s worth a look into. My hubby is absolutely gob smacked with the program. The first time he took the bottles back he gave them the recycling and walked away. Boy, was he surprised when they called him back and gave him some cash. I think it was the highlight of his trip!