My Account
Pontoon cost shocking
Ken Roberts, Army Bay
As someone who has built a number of raft-like constructions in my time, I was shocked to see a cost of $20,000 for a Council pontoon at a local beach (HM August 1). Surely this is not justifiable? Your excellent paper should perhaps look for more information about how this cost is made up. I fear a lot of dollars will have been spent on paperwork and over the top health and safety factors. Unbelievable.
The last straw
Barbara Lee, Matakatia
I haven’t been using plastic bags at supermarkets for some time, but was still glad to see Countdown taking the initiative and dropping them entirely (HM August 15). I also try to avoid straws. I’m slightly wary of the metal reusable ones that are in some cafés now – are they hygienic – but happy to try the cardboard/paper ones or go without. My children will hopefully grow up without expecting everything to come in plastic. Throwing packaging away after one use is not good enough and the planet is drowning in plastic waste. We need to change our ways.
Bin liner suggestion
Peter Small, Stanmore Bay
Smart move by Countdown to get in ahead of a potential ban on plastic bags (HM August 15). Something I hear from people a lot is that they don’t know how to line their bins without the bags. The next step is for more people to look at starting compost or Bokashi bins which eliminates a lot of the wet mushy compostable material that people currently trash. Composting turns that type of waste into something that’s great for the garden and also means that minimal, if any, lining of waste bins is necessary. I am old enough to remember when this was the norm so I know it can be done as our minds adapt to less plastic in the future.
