From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 6 October

The hoo-ha surrounding the changes to the collection of our glass recyclables is ridiculous. It were as if people were being asked to pluck-out an eye!

IT seems to me, we are to blame for the impasse. We are so self-indulgent; so smug; and so bloody lazy, and uncaring. The Ballarat City Council cannot be blamed for the current recycling dilemma. Indeed, they are doing a sterling job resolving the problem, which is the direct result of State government indifference; an uncertain regulatory framework (how could you allow a monopoly for something so important?), and a lack of strict – even draconian – regulation. In some respects, we are a nation of slobs, too lazy to get out of our own way. The pervading lackadaisical ethos is a manifestation of ignorance. Many Australians have never lived in another country and do not realise how good have they have it. Stop trying to kill the goose that’s laying the golden egg.

Like many, I am meticulous with my recycling. I try, to the best of my knowledge, to include only recyclable items. Surprisingly, I was unaware that clear, supermarket-provided meat containers are not classified as recyclable, and end-up in land fill. Given the number being used annually, they should be phased out. In the same way, cling-wrapped vegetables should be outlawed. It is a contaminant, and cannot be recycled. Bring back paper bags!

Since China banned importing foreign waste – it was a contamination problem – Indonesia has become a dumping ground for Western nations’ rubbish. The attitude of: ‘send it off to the emerging world, let them deal with it’, is obscene. Indonesian customs officials say they will send eight shipping containers of paper back to Australia after they found it contained household garbage, including used nappies and electronics. Authorities on some islands, including Java, have found plastic in containers of Australian paper waste which were exported lawfully to local paper mills. It is beyond comprehension that any household would imagine placing soiled nappies into recycling bins was acceptable. Truly, some people are indescribably disgusting.

Having lived for a time in Tokyo, I saw, first-hand, the seriousness with which they treat recycling. Cardboard liquid containers are rinsed, flattened out, and tied with string before being placed-out for collection. The responsible authority has inspectors, driving around, and checking. Woe betide anyone whose recycling pile does not look as if it were wrapped by Harrod’s gift department. The fines and penalties are severe. The same degree of rigidity should apply in Australia.

While the separating of the glassware from other recyclables does require some small effort, it is not the end of civilisation; although, it will go some way to helping prevent it. Some people need to get on with life – God knows it is short enough – and stop griping! When my parents lived in the Western Australia outback bush, several (being more than three) times a week, my father, Ginger, walked, uncomplainingly, a four-mile round journey to carry two kerosene tins of water attached to a hand-made, wooden shoulder yoke.

There was a time when the bottle-o collected from the house and paid a refundable deposit. It was more for an aerated than a beer bottle. Children wanting pocket money scavenged for bottles and returned them to the shop. Many a time, my mother, Beria, would point and say, “Ronnie, there’s a bottle. Pick it up, and we’ll take it home for the bottle heap.”

The Victorian government should follow the example other states and think seriously about introducing the refund scheme. There would not be an empty bottle in sight. Every scout and guide company would be out on the collection trail, raising money for their respective packs.

Roland can be heard every Monday morning – 10.30 – on radio 3BA and emailed via [email protected].