Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I remember as a boy collecting coke bottle on the side of the road and taking them to the local convenience store and getting a refund. I bought my first push bike with those funds - $30!!! (back in 77)

Now those bottles were reusables, I know I got money from the shop for the bottles. I wonder how that was funded. They wouldn't want to pay out money for bottles they didn't sell. I guess they got a credit back for those bottles??

Now adays, most bottles are recyclable, but not re usable? I remember doing a tour of the XXXX brewery in Milton QLD, and saw bottles going through a washer. I guess they were the reused ones, but that was probably 30 years ago, well before I could have a sample. Wonder why mum took us there. She is a tea-totaller. Maybe just to get us out of the house during holidays. Anyway, back to topic.

I remember collecting cans on the road side as well. I think it was 40 cans to a kg, 40c/kg. I even remember going to the royal show or maybe motor show, collecting cans. Made a tidy profit, wasn't ashamed to go through rubbish if necessary. Now those cans were collected by Lions clubs or something. They wouldn't have given out money unless they got something in return. I guess they took them to recyclers, and got 50c/kg and donated most of it to charity. Is there still cash for cans running in Aust?


Now we chuck them in the recycling bin and don't get paid for them. The council would get funds from recycling, but they have to pay to sort as well.

About the only fizzy drink we buy now is soda water. Goes well with vodka and a drop of lime. Even better if it is AP lime!! And supplies me with more bottles for home brew.

Was handed a can of Coke last weekend at a cricket wind up. Having not drunk coke for a long time, I couldn't get the taste. Very sweet and a flavour that just wasn't natural. Coke have done a great job of brainwashing to make people think it tastes good I guess.

Sorted out the pallet though with a lovely Home brew when I got home!

But now its all about business. You see it everywhere, just look at the big banks, it all about profits for the shareholders, and bonuses to the CEO's even if they don't get what they were meant to achieve. I'm sorry, but what Coke have done here is no different from damage oil companies do in 3rd world regions, mining companies do to the enviroment every where. Goverments do not stand up to them, as that is where their revenue comes from.

We as APers hopefully do our little bit by contributing to the green side by doing less food miles, maybe do less driving, maybe teaching our kids about the environment, but sometimes it fells like we are just a small voice in the big ugly world out there, that we rely on to provide the rest of what we consume.

I wonder if all the emotion that has been generated by this thread could somehow be used as a guage for how the public feels about cokes action in the courts. Would coke care? I wonder if coke realises that the public (if we are a representation of the popultation), feels that they have gone down the wrong path here, after all, it wouldn't just be coke that may have to change their structure, all brands would be affected. I am imaging there would be some administrational charges that would get linked in there, but haven't most people just laid down and taken the carbon tax?

Can you imaginge the positive spin they would get, if in say a years time after everyone has had a good sleep and forgotten about the court case, if coke turned around and said they supported a recycling scheme Australia wide. If they got in before the government made legislation.

Good on you EB for putting this out there. I think alot of people support your idea.

I am not against finding a means to have people litter less,
Ii am also not against a refund when you take things back either,
I was against the method of protess and extemeism againt innocent business owners because of a single idea.
I was also brought up in SA i have lived in every state of Australia except the NT

On another note if you think all things from governments are good then you may want to check this out it could be in your interests to do so.
http://www.news.com.au/money/banking/ca ... 6585867131

In short if you despoit money into a grand kids bank account for awhile and stopp doing so, the government will take all the money after 3 years of inactivity, now to me this is just outright theft to boost the coffers.
They are also going to do the same to super funds.

It is not theft if you can get it back, with interest. This is just another example of the media creating a beat-up to enrage the punters. I suggest that you you try not to be sucked in by the media spin.

Ross Greenwood said something about having to ask for it back though, it sounded like you cant just walk into the bank and withdraw it.

No the ATO takes it.
You have to go through some process of filling out forms etc. To get your own money back, that you worked hard for and already lost about 30% or thereabouts to tax.


If you start a political thread, you should expect some political responses

For the record, I don't know about the others but I don't consider myself right wing at all. Not the modern right wing anyway.

What does everyone think of this point, that pollution is largely a "Tragedy of the commons"



So in the same way as explained above, much pollution is the result of abusing the "common land"
Whether that be littering on the street, in a park, or in the rivers and oceans.

We all know you're a pale pink socialist at heart SV....

Haha Rupe, I guess I should have clarified that point. I am neither left or right, in the modern sense. These days the left and the right advocate big government and regulation of everything that moves.




Now comment on the last part of my previous post

How surprising.. that the Liberatarians... see themselves as the pinnacle....



I agree completely.... all pollution is the "abuse of common land".... and air and water....

Hi again

Sorry EB

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/n ... hCanada.ca

cheers

Dr Bee brings up another important argument. The obvious benefit we see and hear about is the reduction in rubish/increase in recycling although I think we have a lot to learn when recycling PET at this stage as most of it is devalued.

However, the other benefit is the lifestyle/social values that children learn from collecting and cashing in returnables. Our current generation is without in this and as someone who works with kids I can categorically say it shows. The throw away mentallty that most have stems from not valuing money and the effort that goes into obtaining it. I work in what is categorised as a low socio economic area yet I regularly see kids throw money away (yes literally throw it away) as small change to them is worthless.

If they collected cans and bottles to fund their interests as many of us who lived through the refundable glass era did I guarantee their attitudes and values would be different.

Think about it when I say the current generation is without in this, we use to collect bottles, door knock to do odd jobs and the like they have none of this. The generations prior to this use to trap rabbits and foxes and sell their pelts as well as doing odd jobs for others in the community. A few bad eggs and a lot of scare mongering has removed the odd jobs option for most. Scouts don't even have Bob a Job anymore!!

I remember going rabbit shooting, trapping and fox hunting too but if you see a 13 year with his dog and gun these days he wouldn't get far lol
I also dont remember SA being any cleaner than any other state I have lived in either
the cleanest city I have been to is singapore.

There used to be rubbish bins on the side of the streets here but for some reason they were taken away and now there is rubbish is dumped everywhere.

Spot on, Burnsy.

My kids will learn (are learning) to clean up after themselves. Period.

Getting money for doing something you should always do anyway is sending the wrong message IMHO.


Rupe most of those compass thingies are the other way round, would that help ?


If pollution is a "Tragedy of the Commons" I say get rid of the commons

If you go to a football game it is not litter or pollution is it? Its just rubbish, that people have jobs to clean up.

Instead of going to the local public park and seeing litter everywhere, I would prefer to go to the local private park, pay a couple of dollars to get in and enjoy a much cleaner, better set up park with no bindies and more equipment for the kids.

Sell the parks, beaches, rivers, oceans and pollution will almost solve itself

But then that would be giving potential profit to those evil capitalists

What this has got to do with the concept of kids industriously collecting bottles and cans, that others have thrown away, in order to earn themselves some money I have no idea, SuperVeg. I certainly don't disagree with your statement, at all, it's just a shame that it is totally irrelevant in the context of this discussion.

Yep... let's just sell everything to corporations... for their potential profit... and the problem will solve itself....

History kind of suggests that given free rein... and with profit first and foremost in thier minds.... most corporations haven't exactly had a good track record of "solving" pollution problems....