A young Queensland woman is aiming to pay for her dream wedding by collecting and recycling more than 800,000 plastic bottles and cans. Leonie Starr, who lives on the Sunshine Coast, had been quoted $81,000 for her dream wedding in Vanuatu to her fiancé, Matthew Porter. Mr Porter, 28, proposed to Ms Starr, also 28, on March 14, while the pair were on a cruise in Vanuatu.
The couple, who have been together nearly two years, were told the $81,000 quote includes accommodation for 35 guests for six nights, all meals and the wedding itself. And Ms Starr believes she has found a way to pay for it without breaking the bank.
Queensland’s state government introduced a container refund scheme on November 1. It gives residents the chance to collect and recycle in exchange for 10 cents for each bottle or can recycled at one of more than 230 container refund points in Queensland. Drink containers are said to be the second most littered item in the state with close to three billion used each year, but one person’s trash could be Ms Starr’s treasure.
Ms Starr has always recycled, but it is said that she has ramped it up in preparation for her wedding. “When I tell people about it, the first thing that they do is to laugh and then they realize I’m serious,” she said. The 28-year-old said people from work and her neighbourhood had helped her but she needed to be collecting 2,200 bottles a day to reach her goal.
She added the experience has also opened her eyes into how many drink containers go to waste. “It’s amazing to see how much we actually throw away as a community,” Ms Starr said. She has also reached out on Facebook for help — you can follow her progress here. She aims to have her wedding in March 2020.
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