Maitland residents have a pretty good reputation when it comes to recycling.
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Our city has some of the best recycling figures in the state – thanks to fortnightly recycling bin collections – and recently helped set a new regional record for the recycling of electronic waste.
That was achieved through Hunter Resource Recovery, which processed more than one million kilograms of electronic waste across all Hunter councils in 2012-13.
When the scheme first started in 2009, only 233,020 kilograms was recycled across the Hunter.
Now Maitland residents are being asked to take their recycling one step further.
They are being encouraged to sign a petition calling for the immediate introduction of a 10 cent container deposit refund scheme across the state.
The Total Environment Centre petition highlights the need to eradicate beverage container litter from marine environments, parks, roadsides, beaches and waterways throughout NSW, but it is 2000 names short of the 10,000 needed to trigger a parliamentary debate.
A report by Boomerang Alliance – a collection of environmental groups – showed the Hunter River and Newcastle Harbour have higher levels of rubbish than the Cooks River, Sydney, known as one of the state's dirtiest waterways.
That’s alarming considering the people of the Hunter have such a high regard for recycling.
Total Environment Centre executive director Jeff Angel believes the introduction of a 10 cent container deposit scheme would rid the state of this container litter.
If you agree, go to www.tec.org.au and sign the petition.