Food and drink makers launch misleading, pro-litter scare campaign

FOOD & DRINK MAKERS LAUNCH MISLEADING, PRO LITTER SCARE CAMPAIGN

The Tasmanian Greens today said the food and beverage industry was insisting on being a part of Tasmania’s litter problem with its disappointing and ongoing opposition to a container deposit scheme.

Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP was responding to a full page advertisement in today’s Sunday Tasmanian Newspaper misleadingly describing the scheme as a “drink container tax.”

“Calling a container deposit scheme a tax is misleading and plain ridiculous and it’s just another attempt by the food and beverage industry to put self interest ahead of the environment,” Ms O’Connor said.

“The self interest is blatant, just like the multi-billion dollar mining industry on the resources tax and the coal industry on the carbon price.”

“Today’s newspaper ad should also be seen for what it is, a misleading scare campaign, which appears designed to try to scare off Ministers at the next national Environment meeting from taking the long overdue step of moving on a National Container Deposit scheme.”

“Container deposit has strong public support. An EMRS poll conducted 12 months ago, found that 91 per cent of Tasmanians want a container deposit scheme established.

Tasmanians who care about cleaning up our chronic litter problem will see straight through this profit-driven ploy by the beverage industry.”

“The scarcity of the planet’s resources requires us to move toward becoming a zero waste society, and clearly the food and beverage industry isn’t interested in being part of the solution.”

“We know this low-cost scheme works, and that it’s supported by consumers because it’s already up and running in South Australia and the Northern Territory, and the sky still hasn’t fallen in there.”

“Tasmanians are notorious for being the nation’s worst litterbugs, and the industry is clearly quite happy for that to remain the case,” Ms O’Connor said.

SCAREMONGERING FOOD & DRINK MAKERS MOTIVATED BY GREED
But Container Deposit Scheme Popular & Works

The Tasmanian Greens today pursued container deposit legislation in Parliament, and urged MPs not to be swayed by the self-interested, profit-motivated scare campaign initiated by the food and drink industry.

Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP called the food and drink industry’s scaremongering advertising campaign against a container deposit scheme negative and ill-advised.

“Calling a container deposit scheme ‘a drink container tax’ is not only wrong, it is trying to scare consumers and policy makers, who will see that, just like the mining industry, the food and drink industry is moving to protect its profits,” said Ms O’Connor.

“I strongly urge ministers at the next national Environment meeting to see through this scaremongering and instigate the long overdue step of moving on a National Container Deposit scheme.”

“Container deposit has strong public support. An EMRS poll conducted 12 months ago, found that 91 per cent of Tasmanians want a container deposit scheme established. Tasmanians who care about cleaning up our chronic litter problem will see straight through this profit-driven ploy by the beverage industry.”

“We know food and drink container deposit schemes work because there are ‘cash for cans’ and ‘bottles for bucks’ cash-back schemes up and running in a number of jurisdictions in Australia and beyond.”

“Container deposit schemes take food and drink containers out of the environment and put money back in consumers’ pockets. The reason the food and drink industry doesn’t like it comes down to a single thing: greed.”

“I am confident consumers and MPs will see through this negative and ill-advised campaign, which is trying to use fear to prevent something positive and popular from benefitting the State,” said Ms O’Connor.