The Boomerang Alliance is making 2025 the year of Reuse. Reusable cups, containers and other items have significant benefits compared to single-use items.  They can reduce GHG emissions, water and material use and eliminate unnecessary waste. The switch to reuse will require a big change to our habits so we are starting with cups and containers, primarily used away from home. Away-from-home use usually means that single-use products are thrown away and end up in landfills or are littered.

What we will be campaigning for:

• A binding 30% reuse target for packaging
• A Reuse Strategy included in every government’s plastic reduction policy
• National regulations to require all stadiums and major events to provide reusable cups and containers to patrons
• All cafes and food outlets to also offer reusable cups for takeaway purposes and never provide disposables for dine-in
• All retailers to only provide reusable shopping bags, that have met a reuse standard
• Supermarkets to scale up reuse items in-store and returnable containers for deliveries
• The inclusion of reusable bottles as eligible under State container refund schemes

You can check out our Choosing to Reuse in Australia report (here)

Reform of packaging after so many years of failure by government and business is an urgent task and the Boomerang Alliance is fully focused on an outcome that delivers a circular economy via avoidance, reduction, recycling and reuse supported by regulated product stewardship.[1]

Ministerial meetings have so far been unable to provide this essential, macro solution to the waste, litter and plastic pollution caused by the packaging sector, retailers and consumer behaviour.  Three settings in the policy landscape have retarded progress:

• Commonwealth ministerial procrastination despite repeated statements supporting reform and acknowledging that national action would be most effective and efficient, with the likely failure to meet the 2025 deadline
• A lack of commitment by the federal environment department to significant change, leading only to small steps that defer major regulatory change and plans
• An ongoing interest by the Commonwealth and some states in perpetuating the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) which has failed to meet targets and is underlain by weak compliance measures

The Boomerang Alliance is determined to overcome these barriers so that Australians and their environment can experience the required protection from pollution and avoid the costs of disposing waste.  Making producers responsible for the costs of packaging they place on the market is the most effective means to solve packaging problems, and it will relieve cost of living pressures on households who currently have to pay for single use packaging collection, recovery and litter reductions through their council rates.

Without more decisive national action, more progressive states should take unilateral action. This would be an appropriate response given our recent YouGOV poll that showed (and consistently across all jurisdictions):

• 85% of Australians expressed concern about plastic waste pollution in Australia.
• 73% of Australians want new packaging laws that shift the costs of collecting and recycling packaging waste from taxpayers to producers
• The fast tracking of soft plastic collections is a top priority for Australians, with 88% supporting the reinstatement of soft plastic collections, funded by packaging producers.[2]

Small steps at recent Environment Ministers Meeting (10/12/24)[3]

National Circular Economy Framework

The Boomerang Alliance welcomes broad support for a national circular economy framework to transition the packaging industry to a more sustainable and less wasteful future. However, it remains an advisory document only and it should now be regulated at federal and state levels to ensure a consistent and clear national approach.

Strengthening the National Waste Plan Action Plan

A recurring commitment.  We ask - what are the detailed implementation plans and how will the targets be achieved?

Packaging Design Guidance[4]

On the face of it, a welcomed initiative, but packaging design guidance is just more greenwash, unless it is more than ‘guidance’ and includes requirements that all packaging will be recovered in practice. Over 84% of packaging is designed to be recyclable now, but less than 20% of plastic packaging is actually recycled. This is due to inadequate collection and recovery infrastructure, not just poor design standards.

Harmonise Kerbside Collections ‘in principle’

Harmonising kerbside collection was agreed some years ago but has failed to materialise. The roadmap could be a positive step but there is no indication as to how the barriers will be overcome.

National roadmap: Harmonising action on problematic plastics

All States and Territories have phase out policies for problematic and unnecessary plastics, and the commitment to reduce variations on 24 items[5], without reversing any measures that have been taken, is welcome.  We note the Commonwealth is absent from this process, despite having made commitments on some key items in 2021.[6]

Expanding eligible containers in Container Refund Schemes

The ministerial meeting did not resolve this issue and it has now been left to key states to collaborate on the first tranche for wine and spirits in glass bottles.  We encourage NSW, SA, NT, Vic, WA and ACT to act (Qld has already included these containers).

The future of APCO

As noted above, its continued existence is a barrier to major reform. We note the recent ministerial meeting did not endorse APCO’s 2030 Strategic Plan[7] with its downgraded targets and delayed timeframes.  Any future replacement arrangement for product stewardship must have strict accountability to the Commonwealth and state ministers and the community.

[1] https://www.boomerangalliance.org.au/national_packaging_solution

[2] Total sample size was 1783 Australians voters (18+). Fieldwork was undertaken between 21 Nov - 04 Dec.

[3] The Queensland Government refused to endorse any of these

[4] See Design for Kerbside Recyclability Grading Framework: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/packaging/reforming-packaging-regulation

[5] Items yet to be clarified.

[6] https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-plastics-plan-2021.pdf

[7] https://documents.packagingcovenant.org.au/public-documents/2030%20Strategic%20Plan

As we wrap up another transformative year, we want to take a moment to share our journey with you. Together, we've fought hard against plastic pollution, rallied for stronger policies, and built a movement that brings us closer to a cleaner, more sustainable future. None of this would have been possible without the support and dedication of our incredible community.

So let’s take a look at what we’ve achieved with your help: 

Over the next year, we have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change in Australia’s packaging laws—but we need your voice to make it happen. Help us create change today. 

The Boomerang Alliance and the Australian Marine Conservation Society audit the major supermarkets' plastic packaging use each year.  Our audit is helped by thousands of supporters who act as secret shoppers checking what is happening in their local supermarkets. We use their data in our report.

Our 2024 Supermarket Report has just been released, please see here. The report reveals that, whilst there have been some improvements, our supermarkets are still very slow to change their plastic habits. Plastic-wrapped fruit and vegetables are still cheaper than loose produce 73% of the time. There are too few options for customers to access reusable containers, and there is too much emphasis on recycling of packaging rather than reducing or avoiding it.

We ranked the major supermarkets with Woolworths coming out on top with a ranking of 38%. From our point of view, all supermarkets should be doing a whole lot better and don't compare with the best supermarkets in Europe. As reported above, recycling labels continue to be a problem and often mislead consumers.

The Commonwealth Government has just released its long-awaited proposed Packaging Reform Discussion paper. They recognise that the voluntary arrangements in place for over 25 years have failed. We are nowhere near meeting any recycling or recovery targets. 

The government package proposes three options:

• A continuation of the current (co-regulatory) voluntary arrangements (albeit with strengthened arrangements), 
• mandating requirements that include bans on problem packaging and
•  an EPR (product stewardship) scheme where producers will be responsible for meeting packaging targets
• The Boomerang Alliance supports option 3- Extended producer responsibility. This needs to include mandatory targets for packaging reduction, reuse as well as recycling. This approach should be augmented with bans on problematic packaging and standards that ensure all packaging is recovered in practice.

An example of EPR is the container refund scheme, where the beverage industry is responsible for the collection and recycling of cans and bottles. South Australia has had a scheme for over 40 years but for the rest of Australia, the CRS has tripled recycling and slashed can and bottle litter.

The big omission in the Commonwealth paper is a lack of immediate proposals on soft plastics. Since the collapse of the REDcycle scheme -two years ago-virtually all soft plastics have gone to waste or are being littered. According to CUA Rubbish Report 2023, soft plastics are now the most littered category of plastics in Australia and represent over 34% of all litter collected.

The Boomerang Alliance is calling for an industry-funded product stewardship scheme for soft plastics to be fast-tracked now. This scheme should include both kerbside and in-store soft plastics collection, with a return for recycling.

Thousands of households have been stockpiling their plastics for the last two years and we are calling on the major supermarkets to organise in-store collections now for their customers to return soft plastics that can go straight to recycling.

For more information head to cutthewrap.org.au

The Boomerang Alliance has welcomed proposals by the Tasmanian Government to phase out a range of problem single-use plastics. This means that every State and Territory in Australia has introduced or proposes to introduce bans on problem takeaway plastics.

We are particularly pleased that the Tasmanian Government is proposing to phase out plastic takeaway coffee cups and food containers. It's time that these disposable cups and containers were phased out, with new policies to support reusable alternatives brought in.

Our Choose to Reuse Report identifies strategies on how reusables could be introduced. The first and most obvious option is to switch to reusable cups and containers at major sports and public events. The recent Paris Olympics served takeaway drinks and food to spectators in reusable cups and containers, something that should be replicated here.

And thinking ahead, wouldn't it be great, when the Tasmanian Devils enter the AFL competition in 2028, to have drinks and food served in reusables at all stadiums from game one?

Read our submission here. 

A new plan by the NSW government for more single-use plastic bans, catching up with other states has been released with some welcome actions, but will need improvement in other areas, the Boomerang Alliance believes.

NSW has been slow on these wasteful and polluting items and we also endorse the push towards reusables which are much better on climate grounds and do not cause litter.  However, there are serious problems with the proposal to rely on takeaway cups and food containers being ‘’recyclable’’, as this just doesn’t happen because there is no comprehensive collection system.  The ban on the release of lighter-than-air balloons has been a long time coming and we look forward to the disappearance of them in the oceans and harming marine life.  Phasing out (by 2025) expanded and foam plastic food trays, loose-fill packaging, and moulded or cut packaging will also make a difference.

Submissions are due by 4 November 2024 - have your say here.  We'll be doing a detailed response and sharing key points with our allies and supporters. 

The Boomerang Alliance is proud to announce the launch of the Plastic Ban Solution Finder, a groundbreaking website designed to support hospitality businesses in Australia in navigating state plastic ban regulations. As the most comprehensive resource of its kind in the country, the website aims to prevent businesses from being misled by false claims, ensuring they can confidently choose the right packaging alternatives.

This new tool offers a wide range of packaging options tailored to help hospitality venues comply with their state's regulations, better protect the environment, and enhance their reputation. Initially, the website covers Western Australia and South Australia, with plans to expand to other states soon.

Kellie Lindsay, Plastic Free Places Manager for Boomerang Alliance, shared her insights on the initiative: “As part of our national Plastic Free Places program, we have worked with thousands of hospitality businesses to eliminate over 30 million single-use plastic items. Unfortunately, many businesses have been misled into buying packaging that falsely claims to be plastic-free or compliant with bans. This is very frustrating and often expensive for businesses trying to do the right thing.”

In response to these challenges, the Boomerang Alliance developed the Plastic Ban Solution Finder to provide a simple and comprehensive solution. The website offers clear, up-to-date information and independently assesses every packaging product to confirm compliance with bans. This process includes cross-referencing with certification bodies, checking product compositions, and verifying claims, ensuring businesses can make informed decisions and avoid greenwashing.

In addition to compliance information, the site also features a range of guides to help businesses reduce single-use packaging, save money, and minimise waste.

The development of the Plastic Ban Solution Finder has been made possible through funding support from the Western Australian and South Australian state governments. We are excited to make this resource available to businesses in these states and look forward to expanding its reach across Australia in the near future.

Explore the Plastic Ban Solution Finder today and take the next step towards a more sustainable future for your business and the environment.

Visit the website here