Last night, for the first time in a very long time, a positive news story about recycling made me feel like there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
The story featured a retired hairdresser in Gympie who started to collect used shampoo and conditioner bottles from 38 participating salons and recycling them into prosthetic limbs. In a small scale recycling facility in an average sized warehouse, Mr Craven sorts the plastic, shreds it and then puts it through an extruder which turns it into 3D filament ready for 3D printing.
An international not-for-profit organisation called e-NABLE produced hand kits which support volunteers who can make prosthetics using 3D printers. Two lucky recipients – 11 year old Connnor Wyvill and 12 year old Haley Wright – will be the first people to receive new hands printed from recycled shampoo bottles. For them, prosthetics have been too expensive in the past. This innovation could prove to be commercially viable and more affordable. This is what a win-win looks like!
It begs a question, though – why don’t we see more local recycling and, with elections coming up, what are the major parties planning to do to relieve our recycling woes?
Less Waste, Less Plastic – More Solutions
The Boomerang Alliance (a partnership of 48 national, state and local NGOs and the organisation we can thank for the Plastic Free Noosa initiative) have identified two critical environmental issues for the next federal government – saving recycling and phasing out single use plastic takeaway products.
Director of the Boomerang Alliance, Jeff Angel, says their message is ‘Less Waste, Less Plastic – More Solutions’.
“We are seeking commitments from all political parties to support policies that address these two issues of great concern to the community, and the Commonwealth government has a major role to play.
“With Asian markets for recyclable materials from Australia closing down and local governments confronted with sending most of their kerbside recycling to landfill, it’s time to recognise that this system Australians greatly value is under severe threat. The National Waste Policy (NWP), recently agreed upon with all States, tries to set out an agenda for the future, but its aims cannot be achieved without constructive investment and policy support.
“Claims in a current affairs show last week that recycled plastics exported to other countries for recycling were not being actually or safely recycled are just another story feeding into a growing loss of confidence in recycling. Whether true or half true or not at all, government must confront our recycling crisis for the sake of our economy and environment.
“This is the reason why Boomerang Alliance has placed investment in domestic recycling at the top of our election asks. The Labor party have promised a $60 million investment in domestic recycling. We need committed funding from the Coalition too; as well as ‘Buy Australian Recycled Content’ rules.
“At the same time the world is facing a plastic pollution epidemic caused by plastic wastes that can’t be reused, composted or recycled and end up in the ocean. Australia must play its part in breaking the dangerous plastic habit.”
“Without concerted and effective action, Australia is set to go back 50 years to the days when waste was dumped or burnt and the only things recycled were the bottles collected for a refund,” said Angel.
Key election commitments
Funding for Recycling Industry Development Fund. The Boomerang Alliance is asking for $150 million to help develop a domestic reprocessing industry to recycle products collected by households and business as an alternative to sending them overseas; to landfill; or incineration. Included in this are proposals for tax incentives for business and government procurement policy to ‘buy recycled.’
Phase out date for single use takeaway plastics (coffee cups/lids, straws, cups and containers and cutlery). This follows the EU decision to phase out some key items in 2021 and increasing calls for similar action around the country. There are plenty of alternatives and will contribute to achieving the 2025 goals for all packaging to be composted or recycled.
National bans on plastic bags and plastic microbeads and introduce CDS in every State. This meets Commonwealth promises internationally and puts pressure on remaining states (Victoria and Tasmania) to act. The current voluntary microbead ban has not gone far enough and has loopholes.
The Product Stewardship Act should be strengthened by including eco-design requirements on packaging that minimise use and ensures packaging can be reused, composted or recycled. If we don’t make industry act, then local governments, waste industry and consumers and the environment will continue to suffer the cost of disposal and from litter.
Adopt a Plastic Pollution Reduction Strategy. This is an ongoing program to examine and find solutions to other single use plastics. It involves engagement with industry and community sectors in retail, agriculture, industry and marine environments.
Support global action and assist our pacific neighbours to address plastic waste and litter. We want the Commonwealth to be pro-actively involved in global initiatives and, in particular, look to provide specific bi-lateral funding to Pacific and near neighbours to assist with plastic litter clean up and development of community-based recycling operations.
Why is recycling plastic packaging so hard in Australia?
According to the Boomerang Alliance, only a small proportion, usually collected through kerbside collections, actually makes it to a recycler. Of the 907,000 tonnes of plastic packaging used in Australia (2017-18) only 14% was actually recycled in Australia. Plastic packaging is out of control.
The group believes that our Product Stewardship (PS) Act could help.
Mr Angel says that if it was used correctly, the Act could mandate plastic packaging to be reused, composted or recycled, but at the moment all the pressure is on households and councils, with the packaging industry playing little or no effective role.
“The Act should also be strengthened to require manufacturers of imported plastic packaging to design packaging so that it can be easily and economically composted or recycled in Australia.
“The European Union introduced packaging requirements in 1994. This required all packaging to be reusable/compostable and recyclable, with targets set for the amount of packaging to be recycled. This resulted in packaging like polystyrene being removed from the market, as it is expensive to recycle, and promoted better alternatives. There is a stark contrast to Australia as the same product manufactured for Australia often uses polystyrene packaging.”
Boomerang Alliance, Australian Council of Recyclers (and with backing from the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association) are calling on the next Commonwealth Government to strengthen the PS Act to require suppliers of packaged products to design packaging to minimise resources and to ensure all packaging can be reused, composted or recycled easily and economically in Australia.
“It will be impossible to achieve the national target to have all packaging reuseable, compostable or recyclable by 2025 without strengthening the Product Stewardship Act,” Mr Angel said.
What can you do?
Of course we can all continue to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle but right now it’s election time so you can also act through your vote. To date the ALP have promised $60 m for a recycling development fund and the Coalition have said nothing. Ask your local representatives what they will be doing to build a stronger, more localised recycling industry and make your vote count!
