The announcement today of the Coordinator and Network Operators (NOs) for Victoria's Container Refund Scheme, marks the end of a very long effort spanning several decades, by community groups who had to battle big drink companies opposed to the introduction of modern drink bottle and can recycling. There are however, challenges ahead that will require close attention by the government.

Today’s release by Coles, Woolworths and Aldi of a soft plastics "Roadmap to Restart" is an admission of failure over the last 5 years and does not inspire confidence the problem will be solved.

Australia's largest soft plastics recycling scheme REDcycle collapsed last November and last week the scheme was declared insolvent by the Supreme court. Soft plastics collected from supermarkets were sent to warehouses where they’ve been stockpiled for months, leaving consumers disappointed and pushing Australia even further from its national packaging target. So, how far are we from that 2025 goal?

The commitment by Coles and Woolworths to manage the REDcycle soft plastic stockpile is hopefully, the start of a journey to recycling the vast bulk of Australia’s 440,000tonnes of the material, the Boomerang Alliance said today.

The Queensland Government has introduced legislation to ban the release of lighter than air balloons. The ban is likely to be put into effect in September 2023.

How often or long do we need to use green bags to make reusable bags actually environmentally friendly and how are they being recycled?

Boomerang Alliance campaigner Birte Moliere spoke with James Valentine on ABC News.

Cafes and restaurants are being pushed away from plastic, with single use plastic bans coming into force across the country.

It can be an expensive transition, but there's support for businesses making the move towards greener alternatives.

Western Australia banned heavyweight plastic bags in 2022, Queensland will follow this September. South Australia and the ACT will act soon. The bans are forcing the major supermarkets to abandon their 15 or 25 cent plastic bags.

Australia urgently needs a national plan to tackle the soft plastics crisis and the Boomerang Alliance is releasing its proposed product stewardship scheme to mandate action by producers and supermarkets.

Dine-in restaurants in Australia should be banned from serving food and drink in disposable packaging.