Wine and spirits bottlers should join the container refund by the beginning of 2023. Frankly it is an embarrassment that they are not already part of the very successful 10cent refund program. The South Australian wine sector seems to be particularly opposed. Their environmental reputation is rightly being questioned – it will become a consumer negative with a possible call for boycotts if they don't join up.

In our submission on the Northern Territory Draft Circular Economy Strategy 2022-27, the Boomerang Alliance has welcomed the NT Government seeking to develop a circular economy on waste and resource recovery.

With Queensland and South Australia, announcing consultations on their next stage bans on up to 20 single use plastic items, the race is on to advance more action on plastic pollution.https://www.replacethewaste.sa.gov.au/surveyhttps://e-hub.engagementhub.com.au/single-use-plastics

The Boomerang Alliance of 56 NGOs has welcomed the release of a public discussion paper (Turning the Tide on Single Use Plastics 2021) on more plastic items that should be banned in South Australia.

The Boomerang Alliance of 56 NGOs has welcomed the announcement of consultation on a second nation leading tranche of single use plastic items to be banned in Queensland. These items include problem plastics habitually littered or landfilled and polluting the marine environment.

Last night the Victorian Parliament passed a new law to set up drink bottle and can refunds (CDS) to stop the litter and maximise recycling. At last!

In a shocking exercise of corporate irresponsibility, BIG W has continued to sell banned single-use plastics in Queensland. They have greenwashed previous one-off items as "reusable", when the clear intent of the law is to remove them from supermarket shelves - to be replaced with genuinely reusable items.

Industry based Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) released a major review today but almost all of Australia's key packaging waste and recycling targets are on the path to failure.

The report is a shocking indictment of the voluntary nature of the targets which are to be met by 2025 and reinforces our call for mandatory targets. This is the only rational response to the revelations that recovery of plastic packaging will miss the 70% goal by a large amount; and recycled content of plastic packaging is 3%, way below the 20% target.

The bright spots on banning single use plastic items and accelerating recovery of drink containers under Container Deposit Schemes are the direct result of legislation, not APC action. The report repeats more of the same mantra about voluntary action to develop more plans, encourage investment and collective action. These are just words. Government needs to step in to stop the waste, protect the environment and get the packaging industry on the path to quick results.’

Under the current situation, we’ll get to 2024 and business will seek an extension of time to reach the targets. That would be unacceptable. The Packaging Covenant has missed too many goals and should not be given another chance. We’ll give them credit for admitting failure and being transparent but that must mean they join with us to craft an effective regulatory response now rather than wait till 2025. Last year we issued a Plan B, for this eventuality and it’s time to put it into action. We also note that other countries such as the UK will be imposing a tax on plastic packaging if it has less than 30% recycled content.

The reasons the Tasmanian ALP have given for an Upper House inquiry into the Container Refund Scheme Bill, don’t stack up.

NSW is now starting to catch up with other states with legislation introduced into Parliament this week to ban a range of single use plastic items and it's a welcome move.