Kaikōura's one-rubbish-bag warrior vows to recycle less

Friday, 10 January 2020

Kaikōura's waste warriors have a new mission - to stop recycling as much. (Video first published January 10, 2020)

Every year since 2008, Ralph and Ali Hogan have managed to fit their entire year's waste into one bag.

The couple moved to Kaikōura from Wellington, in part because they were inspired by the district's commitment to zero waste.

They had since managed the seemingly impossible challenge year-on-year – one bag even lasted 15 months.

Ralph and Ali Hogan have lived a recycling lifestyle for 40 years.

Even when they built a garage, the Hogans were determined to work towards their waste minimisation goals and use just one bag for construction waste.

**READ MORE:

All of Ralph and Ali Hogan's rubbish in 2018 fit in this bag.

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Some of these plastic bottles will probably end up in the ocean.

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The couple are concerned about the environment and want to do their bit.

But this year will be different. Ralph Hogan made a surprising new year's resolution to reduce his recycling efforts.

He is not giving up entirely on his 40-year dedication to recycling, but said he was alarmed by studies showing only 10 per cent of recyclable plastics were recycled.

Raw bales of mixed plastics as imported at the Jakarta recycling plant.

'So much ends up in the ocean. On top of that, China has shut the door on taking many of New Zealand's plastics, although it was never a good idea to ship it all there in the first place,' he said.

With many countries banning imported wastes, Canterbury is keen to try recycling locally. (Video first published on November 11, 2019)

Adding to New Zealand's disappointing plastic recycling statistics is the dependence on fossil fuels to make the products in the first place.

'It still takes fossil fuels to produce recyclable plastics and it takes energy to recycle them.

'We will continue to recycle what we must, but we cannot recycle our way out of the mess we are in.'

Hogan said the practice of stockpiling recyclables – or land banking (when materials are buried and mapped, to be recycled at a later date) – were also a big problem.

Ralph Hogan has been an avid recycler for many years but last year decided he needed to cut down on his efforts. He is pictured with his entire rubbish for the year at the Kaikōura lookout.

Ralph Hogan deposits 15 months' worth of his household rubbish in 2014.

Stockpiling - or land banking - is not the answer for dealing with our waste, Hogan says.

The Hogans were now committed to their new set of three Rs – Refuse, Reduce and Reuse, which they follow in that order.

'We need to be creative to do more of that than we already do, but that is our challenge.'

Over the last year they have cut out using tetra paks altogether by giving up rice milk, they started taking their own containers to bulk food stores, and never buy takeaway food.

'We carry utensils with us when we go out so if we get something like a cup of icecream that requires a spoon, we have them with us. We have become more attentive to those sorts of things.'

Ralph Hogan was encouraged to see New Zealand's Government step up and ban single-use plastic bags last year, though said he was disappointed it took a law to make people do what they should have been doing anyway.

The next step announced last month – the phasing out of meat trays, coffee cups and takeaway containers – was also positive, but did not go far enough.

'Sadly, while education is important and individual actions are necessary, it is clear that we will need laws to protect ourselves from ourselves.'

Bold, wide-scale efforts were needed, like taxes on plastic packaging and a non-transferable carbon tax, he said.

'New Zealand may be small, but has often led the way to global benefit and can do so again.'