Sir, – We are a Canadian family with Irish heritage that spends our summers in our old Cavan homeland. We return each year because of the fine people here, the amazing hospitality your country offers, and the rich history of Ireland that we are learning. There has only been one thing that has caused us dismay – no, not the weather – it is the litter that we see thrown about town and country. Cans and bottles of all description spoil the landscape throughout Ireland, and it is a great shame.
While we still encounter problems in this regard back home, I think we have done a better job with the issue of what to do with refuse, particularly empty drink containers. Our province of British Columbia sponsors a return policy where all empty soft drink, juice and alcohol cans and bottles can be returned for amounts varying between five cents and 25 cents. There are several outlets in each town and city where people return their empties. It is standard practice for people to do this. Many people down on their luck scavenge for discarded containers and often are seen with large plastic bags full of bottles and cans. Essentially they are doing a good community service by keeping the streets and alleys clean.
Certainly our streets and byways are not perfect in terms of litter, but we do seem to be on the right track. We understand that at one time there were similar policies in place here. For the beautification of your cities and countryside and for many environmental reasons, we would urge you to reintroduce sound recycling policies and programmes that provide an incentive for people to deal properly with their waste beverage items. As the British Columbia recycling motto suggests, “Yes, you can!” – Yours, etc,
GARY PENNINGTON,
Roberts Creek,
British Columbia.