Recycle the ‘world’s first’ refundable tweet and help stop marine pollution

Ever thought you could help clean up litter-strewn beaches from the comfort of the Twittersphere? Well, it’s possible. An initiative by not-for-profit organisation Take 3 is hoping you’ll give it a spot in your Twitter feed in its latest tactic to help minimise marine pollution — recycled tweets.

In an attempt to raise awareness about the value of a cash for containers scheme (where people are paid for returning bottles and cans), the Australian group has put together a website which will give people 10 cents in exchange for a retweet — the same amount they’d get for handing in a container for recycling. Its recycle a tweet site asks visitors to share a tweet mentioning New South Wales premier Barry O’Farrell’s official Twitter account, so every retweet sends him a message that citizens would support the scheme. In doing so, the organisation claims it’s shared the first recycled and refundable tweet.

Recycle this tweet to show @barryofarrell the power of the #cashforcontainers scheme. Get 10c refund per retweet – http://t.co/WdKyq2YJUs

— The Retweeting Bin (@Bin_Tweets) July 18, 2013

The group is hoping O’Farrell will use his influence to ensure a national cash for containers programme is implemented in the country, potentially helping reduce the amount of debris which ends up on Australia’s beaches once shoppers have more of an incentive to return the packaging. GreenPeace estimates that the country uses 13-14 billion drinks containers annually, many of which aren’t recycled or re-used by beverage manufacturers.

According to Take 3, over 8-billion bottles and cans end up littering Australia’s beaches every year, where they’re often ingested by wildlife and marine animals. By raising awareness by retweeting the post, citizens can either claim their 10 cents or donate it towards cleaner beaches.