The growing rush to incinerate recyclable materials in response to the current loss of export markets, is entirely the wrong way to go, the Boomerang Alliance of 47 national, state and local groups said today.

Dear Environment Minister,

There has rarely been a more important meeting of environment ministers when it comes to waste and recycling.

Next Friday 27 April 2018, our State and Federal Environment Ministers will meet to discuss crucial issues, including the introduction of a nationwide ban on microbeads.

From personal care to dental hygiene to household cleaning, microbeads are used in an enormous range of products. They slip through our inadequate waste water filtration infrastructure and end up in the ocean. Once there, they act as a sponge for water-borne toxins and are easily mistaken as a food source by unwitting marine life, potentially adding toxins directly to the human food chain.

What’s more, without a national ban, surplus products containing microbeads that have been rejected by other countries could easily make their way to Australia, as manufacturers try to cut their losses. We can’t afford to let Australia become a potential dumping ground for these billions of pieces of microplastic.

Right now, the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, France, Sweden, Taiwan, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands have or will soon introduce bans on microbeads. Australia has no plans to do the same.

Instead the Commonwealth Government is relying on a voluntary phase out but only a national ban will eliminate the problem once and for all.

We need to put the pressure on. We need to protect marine wildlife, we need to protect the ocean. We need to protect our health.

We have only days to take action, please help us by contacting our state environment ministers and making your voice heard.

After just two months, the NSW container deposit scheme is already collecting over 1.5 million containers a day. As the rest of Australia follows suit in coming months, Victoria will soon be the only mainland state without a 10 cents container refund scheme.

After years of relying on China to process our plastic rubbish into something useable, the new Chinese National Sword ban is set to have devastating effects on Australia's waste problem if nothing is done.

The introduction of the comingled waste bin has always been an issue, but in Australia we took the lazy way out – ‘she’ll be right’. In the last few weeks I’ve been to crisis meetings with all stakeholders and the fear is palpable. If China won’t take our plastic waste for recycling because it is contaminated in our bins, what will we do with it? More landfill and incineration? Right now is not time for knee-jerk reactions and the glacial processes for better product stewardship, that have so far characterised waste policy development.

Container Deposit Schemes (CDS) operate or are about to be introduced in most States and Territories in Australia. South Australia has had a scheme in place since 1977, and only two states, Victoria and Tasmania, are yet to introduce a scheme. With Victoria losing the China market for its contaminated recyclate and needing to consider a CDS which produces clean material - will Tasmania be the last State to act?

Wow! In less than 3 months over 100 million containers have been collected by Return and Earn!  And as we predicted they are finding markets because they are of high quality and not contaminated. 

Many will have seen the hyper-criticism by some media outlets of short term issues being experienced by the NSW container deposit scheme - but it's unjustified.

Yes there are issues like the slower than planned rollout of collection points.  However, every such scheme in the world has a ramp up period and it takes time for financially viable infrastructure to be put in place and for the community to adapt. We reject the hyper critical media commentators and some in the beverage industry who aren’t interested in a proven program being given time to sort out our serious recycling and litter problems.

New collection points are being opened every week and it’s very gratifying that the community wants more. As for the alleged consumer rip-off, the arrangements are no different to what occurs in South Australia - returns are projected; advance payment made by bottlers; and in the next quarter adjustments are made according to actual returns. Many bottlers then reduce their prices if there was overpayment. As the system settles in projections become more accurate. The initial agreed prices are to be reviewed after February.

The return rate for the first few months is close to what we predicted. It will gradually ramp up to about 80%. Return and Earn is a big, new program and NSW is the first state in Australia to bring in the modern, automated system that is necessary for our big cities and towns.  We are continuing to monitor the program and where necessary, suggesting improvements.

This is an important call to action. We need you to respond to the Victorian government's "Reducing Plastic Pollution" Discussion Paper. It won't take more than a few minutes.

The NSW Container Deposit Scheme (Return and Earn) started on 1 December.  It’s the first modern scheme in Australia (there are older systems in South Australia over 40 years ago and the NT in 2012).  Not surprisingly there are implementation issues we are learning about fast – lessons Qld and WA which are also introducing schemes are watching closely.

It was a hard fought and long battle to get the CDS up with the vast majority of the community confronting the beverage industry.  Even when Premier Mike Baird announced an election commitment in early 2015, the Advisory Committee set up soon after had to debate for a year whether we should have a deposit scheme because the Premier’s media release said the government would consider ‘better alternatives’.  There were none especially on environmental grounds as CDSs around the world are proven to massively reduce bottle and can litter.  And a recent benefit cost study by the EPA found a benefit of $1.33 for every $1 of cost.