An Australian woman said that she plans to pay for her dream wedding with the cash from recycling hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles and cans.
Leonie Starr, 28, of Queensland wants to hold the wedding in Vanuatu.
She and her fiance Matthew Porter, 28, plan to spend six nights on the island. The $81,000 it will cost includes accommodation for 35 guests, all their meals, and the wedding itself.
“Including the actual wedding which is $5,000, it came to $81,000. My partner nearly fell off the couch,” she told the Daily Mail.
Starr said she plans to save up by recycling more than 800,000 bottles and cans, taking advantage of a container refund initiative that the Queensland state government introduced on Nov. 1. According to the government, people in the state use nearly three billion beverage containers every year.
“These containers are the second most littered item in the state, despite the fact they can be easily recycled. Beverage container litter is largely associated with drink consumption in open air settings such as parks, beaches, shopping centres and car parks,” the government stated.
The scheme gives people an incentive to recycle, in addition to providing new jobs and fundraising opportunities. In Australia, around 50 to 60 percent of the roughly 50 million tons of waste generated each year is recycled, reported The Conversation.
تم النشر بواسطة Matthew Porter في الإثنين، ١٨ سبتمبر ٢٠١٧
‘It’s a Very Big Goal’
Porter proposed to his girlfriend while the couple was traveling in Vanuatu, and they hope to go back there for their wedding.
“I’ve been researching different islands in Vanuatu and found an island up north that is absolutely stunning,” Starr told 7 News. “Unfortunately, the quote they gave us scared the life out of my fiancé.”
The recycling plan gives residents 10 cents in exchange for each can or bottle they recycle at one of hundreds of container refund locations.
“It’s a very big goal. I have collected 1337 bottles and cans in seven days, which I am very proud of,” Starr said. She said she’s always recycled but is taking it to another level in hopes of getting enough money to pay for the wedding.
“When I tell people the first thing they do is laugh and then they realize I’m serious,” she said, noting she’ll need around 2,200 bottles and cans a day to reach her goal.
On Facebook, Starr said “it’s a crazy goal” and that the money she raises will “pay for our entire wedding.”
“I’ve been cleaning up local parks and beaches, taking everything I can find to my local EnviroBank depot on the Sunshine Coast,” she wrote.
“Collecting bottles and cans from my neighbors, friends & family.”
Very excited to announce that this mornings bottle drop off takes the total count to 1337! Only 808,663 to go ♻️????
تم النشر بواسطة A recycled Wedding في السبت، ١٧ نوفمبر ٢٠١٨
Hope for the Environment
She told the Daily Mail that the effort is partly to get money for her wedding but also to help clean up the environment.
“Even one bottle collected is helping the environment. It’s overwhelming to see how much we throw away as a community,” she said.
“It’s great to see the community getting behind such a crazy idea. It’s been fun walking the beaches and parks adding to the total count. If more people know about the scheme the less that’s being sent to landfill.”
The couple hopes to get married in March 2020.
