The Northern Territory news Sat 22 Dec 2012
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2012-12-22
This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
Nationwide News Pty. Limited
Darwin
application/pdf
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Nationwide News Pty. Limited
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/243784
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/600836
26 NT NEWS. Saturday, December 22, 2012. www.ntnews.com.au P U B : N T N E W S D A T E : 2 2 -D E C -2 0 1 2 P A G E : 2 6 C O L O R : C M Y K SATURDAY EXTRA l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ntnews.com.au A Baptist Care Northern Territory Initiative Peter Fisher CEO Foodbank NT ank You Northern Territory A Christmas ank You Thank you to the Territorians who gave of their time, money and food for this years Foodbank Christmas Appeal. The generosity of Territory families, businesses and individuals who have donated to Foodbank this Christmas has helped many people, and we are so grateful. Hunger never goes away and neither will the work of Foodbank. As long as there are families and individuals struggling to make ends meet we will support the 90 charities in the Territory who reach out to these people daily. This year alone we provided 160,000 meals and 650 hampers and next year we will continue to help the needy in the NT with your assistance. You can still give a tax deductible donation to Foodbank or help in our work by contacting us with the options below. Phone: (08) 89473669 Email: admin@bcnt.org.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Foodbank-NT/419627198092672 Give Now Web Site: www.givenow.com.au/baptistcarentntfoodforlife Whos cleanedup in the NT Recycle Solutions has been busy since the scheme was introduced Gary Dawson of the Australian Food and Grocery Council argues that the NT recycling scheme doesnt work There is a question mark over the very legality of the scheme because theNorthern Territorywent it alone and is nowout of step with all other states and territories T HE Northern Territory Government has a rare opportunity to reduce the price of drinks for Territorians, clean up a bad policy inherited from its predecessors and put in place a recycling scheme that will actually work without slugging consumers at the checkout. The cash for cans scheme introduced in the NT last year achieved a trifecta no government can be proud of extremely expensive, legally questionable and with dubious environmental benefit. Territorians are paying up to 20c per container more than consumers in other states because of this scheme. Around Christmas, as beverage consumption rises, so does the cost to families of the Container Deposit Scheme (CDS), at a time when many families can least afford it. Evidence also shows that the Cash for Cans scheme is providing little environmental benefit for the extra cost. The first two quarters of published data on the performance of the Cash for Containers Scheme (to June 2012) show an average of only 26 per cent, or one in four, containers redeemed. And the bulk of this is likely to have come from materials that was already collected in convenient, kerbside recycling bins in Darwin and Palmerston. In effect, the NT Government, businesses and consumers are paying more for a CDS which is delivering less than alternative waste management models. And on top of that, there is a question mark over the very legality of the scheme because the Northern Territory went it alone and is now out of step with all other states and territories apart from South Australia. By removing the Container Deposit Scheme you remove the problem. Consumers will benefit immediately from cheaper drinks, businesses will be able to operate with less regulation and the beverage industry can work with the Government to deliver better environmental outcomes at no cost to consumers. Right now, industry is working collaboratively with the Queensland Government and non-government organisations such as Keep Australia Beautiful, to clean up litter hot spots and put in place new away-fromhome recycling bins. This builds on existing kerbside arrangements which include all waste streams not just beverage containers. Because its complementary and targeted, its also efficient and effective. The difference is that Queenslanders are not paying for a CDS which is effectively another tax on Territorians, the bulk of whom are doing the right thing by recycling and not littering.