Hi Alexandra,
The cost of cleaning litter is unbelivable.. there are whole organisations like sustainable coastlines organisating volunteers to clean the beaches etc. The standards organisation can come up with a sample and measurement plan. the law would say a sample meadurement is adequate. It doesnt cost to collect the sampkes as we are going out to pick it up anyway. 5 people within a govt or uni science org could run this full time. I would imagine this would reduce the number of people actually picking up litter by 1000s. They are simply sent an invoice to pay based on the cost of cleaning up. Lets send it for a feasibility analysis. Basically the cost of cleanup must come down far more directly on the products and consumers causing the issue. 100 percent of products shouldnt be penalised or taxed generally because just 2 percent of products cause 98 percent of litter. beer bottles.. wax coated fast food containers. maccas and kfc bags. The solutions will materialise overnight and litter disappear overnight if we do this. Maccas will have please dispose carefully printed all over their paper bags, and softdrink containers will be designed to biodegrade 80 percent faster.

Hey, Alan

I like your theory, but wonder how this would be managed in the real world. Who would process these litter claims? How would they be authenticated, measured and responded to? There would be a cost to all that – we can’t just tweet it and it is so (oh, how I wish…). Seriously, how do you propose doing this in a cost-effective way?

Hi Alex, however a lot of packaging between businesses is responsibly recycled and does not make its ways into our parks and waterways. Its not difficult to apportion the enormous cost of litter cleanup directly to the companies and consumer profiles causing the litter. Charging everyone wont create the harf motivations to get the outcome we want. A cleaner environment. I believe my suggestion would give a guaranteed outcome of cleaner beaches parks and waterways. Its not general litter.. its drink bottle beer bottles kfc and maccas wrappers etc.

Although I like this idea, it is probably easier to tax packaging at the point of sale and tax non-biodegradable packaging so as to make it prohibitively expensive for single use plastics, with the exception of medical use.

A disproportionate amount of litter and its cleanup cost is caused by a small segment of products. glass beer bottles.. KFC and maccas for example. Litter collected from parks roads and beaches should be sampled and the costs of cleanup apportioned back to those cpmpanies which would then be built of course i to their product price. The litterers would then have to pay for their own literring. Instantly we would see reminders at these stores to please dispose of litter considerately. Large chains must as is now the case print their brand on their litter