Plastic Waste in Australia
21
Australia
’s
existing plastic waste
policies
DOMESTIC POLICIES
Australia’s overall
approach to the plastic waste crisis is that plastic should be diverted and
recovered from landfill and
be reused as part of a ‘circular economy’.
But, as the data
presented above shows, this has not been effective so far, and forward estimates are not
promising either.
A useful place to start this discussion of Australian plastic waste policy is 2017, when China
introduced its ban on waste imports.
118
This change prompted state and federal
governments to deliver the
2018 National Waste Policy
and the attendant
2019 National
Waste Policy Action Plan
. The latter set out a number of specific timeframes and targets for
addressing the plastic waste crisis. These included:
•
a ban on the export of plastic waste, beginning in 2020
•
significantly increasing the use of recycled content by governments and industry
•
phasing out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025
•
making comprehensive, economy-wide and timely data publicly available.
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In addition, the
Australian Packaging Covenant
–
an industry-led government agreement to
reduce plastic waste
–
set a series of complementary targets, including:
•
100% of packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025
•
recycle or compost 70% of plastic packaging by 2025
•
achieve 50% average recycled content in packaging by 2025.
120
After a review found that the 2025 targets were unlikely to be met,
121
the Australian
government set a new goal: to recycle or reuse 100% of plastic waste and end plastic
pollution by 2040.
122
118
Wen et al (2021)
‘China’s plastic import ban increases prospects of environmental impact mitigation of
plastic waste trade flow worldwide
’
,
Nature Communications
, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20741-9
119
Australian Government (2019)
National Waste Policy Action Plan
, p 2
120
DCCEEW (2023)
Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation
,
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/packaging/packaging-covenant
121
Readfern (2023)
Australia recycles just 18% of plastic packaging and will not reach 2025 target, review
The Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/20/australia-recycles-just-18-
of-plastic-packaging-and-will-not-reach-2025-target-review-finds
122
Clure (2022)
‘
Australian government pledges to recycle all plastics by 2040
’
,
ABC News