Most States and Territories in Australia having passed laws or proposed laws to reduce their single use plastics. Tasmania is one of the few exceptions.
Boomerang Alliance asked the three major parties about their policies on a container deposit scheme with a return rate above 90%, and their plans to ban certain takeaway single-use plastics.
The good news is that all parties support the introduction of a container refund scheme in 2022, although only the Greens would commit to setting a target for returns above 90% (Worlds Best Practice is 95%)
On curbing reducing problem single use plastics, all parties have promised to act, introduce a long-term plastics reduction plan, with the Greens the only party to specifically commit to introducing bans on problem plastics.
With the Commonwealth and all State/Territory Governments agreeing to phase out problematic and unnecessary single use plastics by 2025 (Meeting of Environment Ministers Communique 15 April 2021), we expect the next Tasmanian Parliament to catch up with the rest of Australia.
We look forward to a container refund scheme being introduced in 2022 AND Tasmania needs to ban problematic single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery and containers.
