There was a time a kid could redeem an empty lemonade bottle for enough money to buy a decent bag of aniseed balls or a quencher.

Redeemable bottles were also the life blood of groups like the Boy Scouts, and part of a circular economy.

This week, 15,000 New Zealanders called on the government for a return to those days.

A petition asking for the re-introduction of a cash-for-trash bottle refund scheme, similar to what we used to have, has been delivered to politicians on the steps of parliament by plastic campaigners.

Associate Environment Minister, Eugenie Sage, and Green MPs Chloe Swarbrick and Gareth Hughes accepted a petition calling for the scheme, which campaigners say will revolutionise waste minimisation, keep two billion plastic and glass beverage containers out of landfills each year and reduce land and marine litter.

The statistics are fascinating. Research shows that 83 per cent of Kiwis support a container deposit scheme, and nationally, local authorities could expect to save up to $20.9 million each year on recycling collection costs. Over 10 years, society would be better off to the tune of $645 million.

Kiwi Bottle Drive campaigner Holly Dove said there's been a huge swell of public support for the petition in recent weeks. 'We're convinced it's a question of when, not if, we get bottle deposits,” says Holly.

Chloe Swarbrick welcomes the current public push to solve waste issues. 'We're actively working on a plan to consciously design waste out of the system,” she says, 'so it's bloody awesome to be held to account by campaigners and communities.”

Minister Sage says she has asked the Environment Ministry to do some work on whether a container deposit scheme could work for Aotearoa.

From here, the petition will go through to a select committee, and Holly says this is just the beginning of the public push for bottle deposits.

'Bottle deposits are a win for us and our environment. Now we're looking forward to some government action.”