Zeroing in on absurd packaging

May 8 2009 The GetReal campaigners welcomed the news today that the Zero Waste NZ Trust have come on board in support of their latest campaign to stop absurd packaging.

“The campaign is in line with the work we have been doing for years,” said Zero Waste Trust CEO Jo Knight. “The implementation of the Waste Minimisation Act (2008) this year gives us the chance we have been waiting for to create better processes for recovering materials. It is important that we all work together to make sure we don’t miss the opportunity.”

The GetReal campaign team is on the road with the Wild OATS (orchestral anti-absurd packaging travelling show) group raising awareness about packaging as a waste issue that can be solved through effective product stewardship.

“People have been calling up from all over the place asking when we are coming to their town” said Ivy Willmott from the Wild OATS crew “We are really looking forward to getting to Wellington and handing the open letter to Dr Nick Smith. It is great that he has agreed to meet with us and hear our side of the story.”

GetReal are focusing on packaging as a perfect example of a waste problem that could be solved by effective product stewardship. The main issues with packaging are over-packaging of some products, confusing labeling making it hard for consumers to make good choices and a lot of packaging is still impractical to recycle.

“All the people involved in the life of a product have some responsibility for making sure it can be recovered once it has served it’s purpose” said GetReal Campaigner Sue Coutts “It is not about pushing all the costs onto one player.”

“The systems we have now don’t encourage the different parts of the chain to work towards the best outcome for people and the planet. The buck gets passed along to the ratepayers who don’t have much influence over the design of packaging coming down the line”

Zero Waste NZ trust has been working towards waste reduction in New Zealand for more than ten years inspiring many councils and communities around New Zealand to see that waste is a resource that can be used to create jobs and drive local economic development.

“We had high hopes when the NZ Waste strategy was developed, but the lack of support for the strategy means it has been very unevenly implemented. We want to see Dr Smith and the National Government get behind the Waste act and drive real change in how we produce and consume” said GetReal Campaigner Sue Coutts. “We all talk about guardianship and kaitiakitanga, it’s time we put our money where our mouths are and put it into practice”

“The trickiest part of any legislation is the implementation phase because that is where the real arguments start about who will bear the cost and who will get the benefit of any change from the status quo.” “We all know that the way we do things now creates a lot of unnecessary problems for the environment, but none of us can resolve them on our own. Product stewardship could create a framework that makes a real difference to how we deal with all the stuff we consume.” Submissions to the Ministry for the Environment on the implementation phase of the Act close on 15 May 2009. GetReal is encouraging people to sign up at www.getreal.org.nz to show support for the campaign, to talk to their local MP about the issues so they know what the public think and to put in a submission if they have specific points to make.

Ends

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