Thread: Countdown supporting Twig and Tweet. (Forest & Bird)

Originally Posted by Cordite

What does Countdown mean by "partnering with" Forest & Bird? It does not state they give money to F&B, it is more by supporting the Plastic Free July campaign - whether financially or by action maybe needs clarification by Countdown.

Just reducing plastic bag use is in itself a good thing methinks, but F&B is an extreme almost religious political conservationism organisation. It is not a general feel good badge that can be safely used to promote their wares. What did they THINK with the increasing numbers of people disagreeing with 1080 spread?

From the Countdown Page:
"Countdown is proud to partner with Forest & Bird to protect our wildlife and wild places by supporting plastic free July. We've already committed to removing single-use plastic carrier bags from checkouts and online by end 2018, as well as plastic straws by 1 October 2018. We've still got work to do, but we're in this for the long haul."

Plastic Free July: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

Plastic Free July is an Australian registered charity, from the above website the About Us page:
"From a humble office initiative in 2011 started by the WMRC Earth Carers in Perth, Australia the Plastic Free Foundation is now a independent not-for-profit Foundation. We are a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) and have fundraising licences in WA and Victoria (other states pending). We are also registered and eligible to receive grants from the Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAF). Donations help us continue to help millions of people and organisations across the world make change."

WMRC is western metropolitan regional council, and they have taken down the WMRC earth carers page which the Plastic Free July has a link to in its About Us page. Namedropping, perhaps, but it was back in 2011 so maybe that evening class is no longer offered by the regional council.
Plastic Free July IS duly listed in the 2018 list of charities by the ACNZ, charity no. 70622097527, Plastic Free July Foundation Ltd, Fremantle, WA.

The Plastic Free July site contains no mention of Forest & Bird.

The Forest and Bird web site contains no links or mentions of Plastic Free July, apart from an aside mention in the opening line of one article.

The countdown page has a link to the F&B's plastic pledge page, which again contains no mention of or link to Plastic Free July. I perceive a lot of it is relentless heart-string-tugging fund raising and the F&B fundraisers will not put up a web page which encourages donating to another organisation than F&B.

So when Countdown partners with F&B it is rather loosely, albeit unwisely. I speculate that maybe it was Australian HQ that made the call rather than a local NZ manager -- who would/should have warned about the polarising effect of aligning with such an organisation. Writing to Countdown HQ in Australia should be worth it.

Their plastic bag sales will be booming now they aren't handed out for free.

Plastic free July? So they're not keen on selling anything but fruits and vegetables? Will the butchers be wrapping meat in waxed paper? Will you be able bring your own bottles and kegs and fill them with milk and beer from the shelves? Nah, that would be taking things a bit 'too far'.

Originally Posted by tetawa

Their plastic bag sales will be booming now they aren't handed out for free.

Absolutely.........its 'virtue signalling' at its worst, imo. Operator at local New World tells us he is laughing his head-off ( in private) at all the plastic bags he is selling.

Originally Posted by Maxx

Absolutely.........its 'virtue signalling' at its worst, imo. Operator at local New World tells us he is laughing his head-off ( in private) at all the plastic bags he is selling.

Ill see if I can find it but the study I read showed direct correlation between reduced numbers of plastic bags used and adding cost. Simply put we are all tight arses and as such, even with the meager price of a bag, it encourages people to use other methods and does have a net result on the number of bags being used

bloody hard picking up dog shit in a reusable bag !
just means i know have to buy plastic bags (or leave dog shit on other peoples property)

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Ill see if I can find it but the study I read showed direct correlation between reduced numbers of plastic bags used and adding cost. Simply put we are all tight arses and as such, even with the meager price of a bag, it encourages people to use other methods and does have a net result on the number of bags being used

Maybe so, but the chap I was referring to noted he was selling way more of the 'reusable' plastic bags @15 cents than he was the reusable semi-fabric ones @ $1.00. So we will get lots more longer lasting plastic in the landfills.

Himmm their has been a 5p charge on plastic bags in the UK for quite some time.
I’m not against that. You just take your own bags to the super market. Have a few that stay in both cars. You learn to adjust.

I’ll still boycott any anti hunting supported stores. Here in the UK The Co-op gets a thumbs down from me!

Originally Posted by Sideshow

Himmm their has been a 5p charge on plastic bags in the UK for quite some time.
I’m not against that. You just take your own bags to the super market. Have a few that stay in both cars. You learn to adjust.

I’ll still boycott any anti hunting supported stores. Here in the UK The Copo gets a thumbs down from me!

copo= co-op ???

Single use plastic bags were never single use to me. we sqoosh them up and save them for all sorts of things. If they weren't so crap and have at least 50% of them with holes in them we would've kept all of them.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

Single use plastic bags were never single use to me. we sqoosh them up and save them for all sorts of things. If they weren't so crap and have at least 50% of them with holes in them we would've kept all of them.

i throw all the tomatoes in supermarket plastic bags into the freezer so when i have enough i can make the wife tomato sauce. bloody handy to take engine oil bottle to the tip, pick up dog poo, put used kitty litter in.........

Originally Posted by berg243

after having to dig a hole at the local tip the biggest thing that could be done to cut down on plastic waste is ban disposable nappies.hole 25m long about 3m wide and as deep as a 12 ton excavator could dig aprox half of what came up was nappies.

Waste not turning it into methane for domestic use, they do on some town dumps around the world.

I personally think we should make more of a point of burning waste in high temperature incinerators and make piped heating or electricity from it - provides a ready financial incentive to the whole operation and the extra CO2 will stimulate plant growth.

Originally Posted by berg243

after having to dig a hole at the local tip the biggest thing that could be done to cut down on plastic waste is ban disposable nappies.hole 25m long about 3m wide and as deep as a 12 ton excavator could dig aprox half of what came up was nappies.

a few years back i was following a car that was behind one of those "freedom camper" vans. next thing i know he is veering all over the road and pulls over.
here i am thinking heart attack etc and pull in behind him to render what assistance i can. splattered across his windscreen was a disposable nappy from the vehicle in front.

Originally Posted by berg243

after having to dig a hole at the local tip the biggest thing that could be done to cut down on plastic waste is ban disposable nappies.hole 25m long about 3m wide and as deep as a 12 ton excavator could dig aprox half of what came up was nappies.

Yeah the idea of taking something as biodegradable as shit and wrapping in plastic is pretty retarded. Got to be a better way.

When they ban plastic bags thru Asia they might get somewhere, this place is a drop in the ocean.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

Yeah the idea of taking something as biodegradable as shit and wrapping in plastic is pretty retarded. Got to be a better way.

think its called cotton ....and a bucket to clean them in........