Stan Moore, the chief executive officer of the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association, believes we should ‘do the right thing’ every day – not just once a year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Every year the Tamworth Regional Council calls on Tamworth residents to join Clean Up Australia Day.
Last year more than half a million volunteers around the country removed just over 16,000 tonnes of rubbish, which is a formidable achievement.
Tamworth residents should be proud of their contribution.
As an organisation focused on minimising the impact on the environment, the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association is participating.
We have also encouraged our member companies to take part.
But while cleaning up after litterers is a noble and necessary cause, we believe it should be more than just a one-day event.
It should be considered the right thing to do every day.
Instead of just one-off events, we need to find more long-term solutions to the littering problem.
We need to fight littering by changing behaviours and prevent litter happening in the first place by tackling the causes.
The NPCIA’s National Litter Action Plan has been developed to do this.
By providing the right infrastructure so residents can deposit their litter, by making it unacceptable in society to litter and by taking action against those that still choose to litter, we can have a lasting impact.
In contrast, cleaning up after litterers in problem solving terms is an “end of pipe” solution.
And other solutions put forward, such as the Container Deposit Levy (CDL), will make people feel it’s all right to litter because someone else will be motivated to pick it up and collect the deposit.
Clean Up Australia Day should be applauded for the impact it has had and we are pleased to be part of it again this year.
But as a country we need to look at the litter plans and the commitments already in effect which will prevent litter happening in the first place.