Plastic Waste in Australia
23
INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES
Whatever Australia might do, plastic waste is a global crisis that will require global solutions.
Plastic production is highly concentrated
–
20 major producers are responsible for 55% of
waste globally, and none of them are based in Australia.
126
The environmental impacts of
plastic waste are not contained within national borders. A good illustration of this is the fact
that, despite contributing less than 1.3% of marine plastic waste, Pacific Island nations are
disproportionately affected by marine plastic pollution.
127
This is especially problematic
given the dependence of Pacific countries on the marine environment. The region is also
marred by an absence of adequate infrastructure to manage high amounts of plastic
waste.
128
There are currently global efforts to forge a global anti-plastics treaty through the United
Nations Environment Assembly.
129
However, the initiative has been marred by the central
question of whether the treaty should aim for more recycling and recovery, or a cap on
plastic production and consumption. As this paper has shown, the latter is the only realistic
option, as recovery can only get us so far.
Internationally, Australia has joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution,
which aims to “end plastic pollution by 2040”.
130
Tanya Plibersek recently reiterated this
commitment, announcing that she would lik
e to see a “plastic
-free Pacific in [her]
lifetime”.
131
She also promised to provide support to the Cleaner Pacific 2025 Strategy to
improve waste management, and $16 million to invest in the Pacific Regional Marine Litter
Action Plan, which aims to ban and develop sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics,
and to create public information campaigns.
132
126
Minderoo Foundation (2023)
Plastic Waste Makers Index
127
Bergin, (2022),
‘The Pacific’s active role in global negotiations on a
marine plastics treaty
’
, The Strategist
,
128
Markic et al. (2023),
‘
Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of Vava'u, Tonga
’
,
Marine Pollution
Bulletin, https://www.grida.no/publications/872
129
UN Environment Programme (2023)
Third session of negotiations on a global plastics treaty opens in
Nairobi
, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/third-session-negotiations-global-plastics-
treaty-opens-nairobi
130
High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (2023)
End plastic pollution by 2040
,
https://hactoendplasticpollution.org/
131
Marks (2023)
‘
The battle for an anti-plastics treaty
’
,
The Saturday Paper
,
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/environment/2023/06/03/the-battle-anti-plastics-treaty
132
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) (2022),
Australia commits to plastic-
free Pacific,
https://www.sprep.org/news/australia-commits-to-plastic-free-pacific