The Green Party will launch its waste policy in Dunedin today as it winds up its summer policy conference.
Yesterday, Green MPs Rod Donald, Metiria Turei and Mike Ward and party members Laura Beck and Laurie Hoverd walked along the sand dunes of St Clair and in the space of 100m
filled a 45-litre Dunedin City Council rubbish bag with drink bottles and containers, fast food wrappers and other assorted bits of paper and rubbish.
Half of the drink containers came from one company, as did the fast food containers.
Mr Ward, the party's waste spokesman, said each New Zealander now produced more waste than the average American, nearly a tonne per person. One-third of that waste was packaging.
"Someone pays to produce it, we earn money to buy it and then we pay for it to be taken away. It would be better reducing the amount of packaging right at the start," he said.
Four of the drink containers had a 5c refund sticker if they were returned to vendors in South Australia. In New Zealand, they were worth nothing, he said.
Tomorrow is the last day of the party's summer conference.
- NZPA
Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment
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