Dave Bright

  • Stop Plastic Pollution from Learner & Provisional Driver Plates

    Plastic "L" (Learner) and "P" (Provisional) driver plates can often be seen in NSW on the roadside and in the gutters as they too easily fall off cars. Boomerang is calling on the NSW government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to be on the exterior of the vehicle only; and to stop distributing low quality plastic plates which too often end up on the roads, which are then washed down the stormwater drains, becoming plastic pollution.

    We are confident that the NSW government can offer better options. Even the cardboard L plates issued in the 1980's would be better. Durable plastic that could be passed from Learner Driver to Learner Driver or perhaps come up with a whole new idea such as recycled and recyclable aluminium plates!

    Queensland offers a downloadable template; SA sells 'see-through plates' for inside the car window; ACT,  WA, Tasmania and Victoria simply require: "You must display L-plates so they are clearly visible from the front and back of the car you are driving." Magnetic plates, plate display brackets and plate clips are also available in most states and territories.

    This is an easily preventable form of plastic pollution - and with your support, we look forward to NSW taking action to prevent it.

    THESE ARE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO LET THE GOVERNMENT KNOW THAT WE WANT THIS PLASTIC POLLUTION STOPPED! 

    1. SIGN OUR PETITION

    Boomerang Alliance is calling on the NSW government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to be on the exterior of the the vehicle only and to stop distributing low quality plastic plates. Please sign our petition on the right hand side of this page.

    2. POST-A-PLATE

    We encourage you to send any "L" or "P" driver plates that you find to Minister for Customer Service The Hon. Victor Dominello MP, Minister for Transport and Roads The Hon. Andrew Constance MP or Minister for Energy and Environment The Hon. Matt Kean MP, with a note asking for a change in the law that currently requires them to be on the exterior of the vehicle. Below are a couple of sample notes to give you an idea of what to write.

    Wrap the plates in scrap paper, address them, stick on a stamp and send them to:

    The Hon. Victor Dominello, MP
    Minister for Customer Service, NSW Government
    GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

    The Hon. Matt Kean, MP
    Minister for Energy and Environment, NSW Government
    GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

    The Hon. Andrew Constance, MP
    Minister for Transport and Roads, NSW Government
    GPO Box 5341, SYDNEY NSW 2001

     

     

    Sample note 1

    Dear Minisiter Dominello,

    Freebie plastic "L" and "P" plates given out at Service NSW locations are creating plastic pollution as they regularly fall off vehicles, onto the road and wash into stormwater drains. Please change the law that requires them to be on the exterior of the vehicle (other states eg. SA allow internal "see through" versions) and RE-THINK the cheap brittle plastic they are made of. We can do better than this.

    Kind regards,
    (name)

    (don't forget to add your return address so that the minister can write back to you)

     

    Sample note 2

    Dear Minister Matt Kean,

    I am sick of seeing lost "L" and "P" plates on the road. They break into lots of little pieces of plastic and wash down the stormwater drains. Please RE-THINK the design of these plates - free "L" plates could be cardboard; "P" plates could be aluminium - totally recyclable! I will keep posting them to you until we get something better in NSW.

    Look forward to hearing of a change.

    Kind regards,
    (name)

    (don't forget to add your return address so that the minister can write back to you)

     


    Information on Learner and Provisional plates display in other states

    State/Territory External only Internal assumed Not specified Materials
    Western Australia     x Printable
    South Australia   x x See-through plates for sale
    Northern Territory     x  
    Tasmania     x  
    Victoria   x    
    New South Wales x     Plastic freebies
    Australian Capital Territory     x  
    Queensland     x Downloadable template

     

    321 signatures

    Boomerang Alliance is calling on the NSW government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to be on the exterior of the the vehicle only and to stop distributing low quality plastic plates as many of them end up on the roads only to be washed down the stormwater drains, becoming plastic pollution. 

    Add signature

  • signed cds vic 2019-11-29 16:47:04 +1100

    Ask the Victorian Government to implement a world class container deposit scheme

    Victoria has now committed to a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) to start by 2023. It needs to be the best scheme maximising recycling; with great convenience for consumers who want to redeem their 10cents; and a credible governance system.   


    The Boomerang Alliance has joined forces with Victorian community organisations and groups to push for action. The Victorian government originally was defending inaction on CDS with questionable statistics on litter and recycling rates. We took actions to dispel myths, raise awareness and presented the true cost of inaction. 

    NSWs 'Earn and Return' has collected over 5 billion containers in 36 months and increased recycling rates from 35% to over 70% under its ''split responsibility'' model with the independent Coordinator and Network Operator. This is supported by the Victorian government for the state's CDS. 

    QLDs 'Containers For Change' which operates under the system favoured by Coca Cola has significant problems with inconvenient refund points; alleged fraud; and lower recycling rates.  Nevertheless, Coke and Lion have embarked on a campaign to reverse the government's position because they can make a profit from a poorly performing CDS by keeping consumer refunds.

    NOW we need to win the battle for a CDS that works best for consumers and recycling.

    SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

    • Sign this letter to Lily D'Ambrosio thanking her for the CDS and maintaining her government's support for the BEST system.

    • Sign up to our campaign and join us in clean-ups, media stunts and other actions

    • Donate to our campaign


    HOW DOES A CONTAINER DEPOSIT SCHEME WORK?

    A container deposit scheme is based on a refundable deposit able to be redeemed by the consumer or collectors at convenient locations. In other words, people get cash for recycling their containers. There are over 40 such systems around the world including in South Australia, the Northern Territory, the ACT, NSW and Queensland. WA, Tasmania and Vic are planning to follow suit in 2020, 2022 and 2023, respectively. Enregistrer

    Enregistrer

    7,757 signatures

    Dear Ms D'Ambrosio,

    Thank you for supporting the introduction of a 10 cents refundable deposit on drink bottles and cans in VICTORIA under the split responsibility model. 

    Victoria is now the LAST state to commit to a container deposit scheme (CDS) but can learn the lessons from other Australian states - and have the best CDS.  As your research has shown, the NSW split responsibility model works best and Victoria can adopt its key features for the environment, jobs, convenient access for refunds and charities.

    We support you rejecting the weak approach proposed by the big beverage companies, Coke and Lion.   

    A best practice CDS can help with the recycling crisis, as it produces reliable streams of sorted, uncontaminated materials that are of higher value and can underpin a local recycling industry. 

    Please keep me in touch with your work on scheme design. 

    Yours sincerely,

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  • signed Sign The Open Letter: Ban Plastic Bags 2015-12-11 17:28:58 +1100

    Sign The Open Letter: Ban Plastic Bags

    In July 2017 Environment Ministers are meeting to discuss what to do about plastic bags.

    Tasmania, the ACT, The Northern Territory and South Australia have already banned single use plastic bags and Queensland is introducing a ban in July 2018.

    We're making sure when they meet that the NSW, Victorian and WA Ministers know there is huge community support for taking action on plastic bags. We've joined with 49 community and environment groups, representing thousands of members, to write an open letter demanding greater action. Add your name to the open letter today to let the ministers know you support a ban on plastic bags.  

    There is increasing evidence that even though a small percentage of bags are littered and then broken up into smaller and smaller pieces – they have a devastating impact on the environment. This includes so called ‘biodegradable’ bags, which are just as dangerous in the marine environment.

    With the CSIRO Marine Debris Report 2014 estimating there are over 124 billion individual pieces of visible plastic littering the Australian coastline – and a large legacy of plastic from previous years becoming microplastic – action needs to be taken on multiple fronts.

    Plastic pollution is a major threat to wildlife. Globally it is estimated that 1 million sea birds and over 100,000 mammals die every year as a result of plastic ingestion or entanglement. Of great concern are the secondary microplastics derived from broken up bags and bottles.

    We estimate that some 180 million bags enter the Australian environment every year.

    Read the full letter and our policy recommendations here

    Thanks to our partners who joined the open letter. 

    1,543 add your names

    Dear Minister,

    Environment ministers have been discussing the issue of removing plastic bags from the litter stream and marine environment for long enough.

    Every Australian wants our stunning rivers, oceans and waterways to have a clean and healthy future. Plastic pollution infests waterways, clogging them with plastic bags, packaging and microbeads.  In Australia, the CSIRO Marine Debris Report 2014 estimated there are over 124 billion individual pieces of visible plastic littering the Australian coastline.

    The tripartisan 2016 Senate Inquiry into Marine Plastic Pollution urged Australian state and federal governments to ban plastic bags and microbeads as a matter of urgency.

    Tasmania, the ACT, the Northern Territory and South Australia have already banned single use plastic bags and can improve their legislation to include 'so-called biodegradable' bags which are just as big a problem in the marine environment as conventional plastic bags.

    We are calling on Environment Ministers in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia to catch up and take immediate action by banning single use plastic bags (including so-called biodegradable bags). 

    Plastic pollution is lethal. We need strong action now.

     

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