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| September 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last week I met the new (federal) Assistant Minister for Waste Minimisation, Trevor Evans along with industry reps to discuss the ban announced by the PM on the export of plastic, glass, tyres and paper. There's no doubt this is a major policy redirection from the inadequate and time wasting institutional responses seen so far and is the first time waste and recycling have come to the fore for heads of government. We and most of industry are on the same page pushing for - recycled content rules; robust product stewardship for packaging; new investment in local reprocessing; and a ban on single use plastics. There's still disagreement about waste incineration. Nevertheless, the potential for state/federal agreement with a meeting of minds amongst active state and federal environment ministers is significant. Undoubtedly we have a crisis that requires bold and concrete responses. During the meeting the Minister assured me that they wanted to announce a date for the ban to take effect (possibly legislated) and that meant there must be for the various exported wastes causing pollution and damage overseas, a viable domestic recycling market. South Australia is leading the way building on its already impressive recycling record with a phase out of single use plastics planned for next year. They are also working with Boomerang Alliance on retail precincts to help businesses adjust to new compostable products or reusables. This is in stark contrast to Victoria which appears set on a landfill/incineration path as it confronts a crisis of its own making - failed regulatory and policy responses that allowed dangerous stockpiles to develop and kerbside recyclate being sent to landfill. And of course that state continues to resist container deposits, even though a CDS will financially support kerbside and deliver clean, high value glass, metal and plastic for new products. Australia's environment ministers will be meeting in early November to agree on an action plan. There have been false dawns before, but this time there is cause for optimism. We will be working hard to make sure this is not an opportunity lost. Check out our recommendations to ministers here
Jeff Angel |
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| Stop Plastic Pollution from Learner & Provisional Driver Plates | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 government to change the requirement for Learner and Provisional plates to only be on the exterior of the the vehicle 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. ACT only specifies the colour and size; Queensland offers a downloadable template; and SA sells 'see-through plates' for inside the car window.
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| We would not have been able to do all these works without our supporters. Please donate so we can continue our fight against plastic pollution. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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