Compelling new evidence exposed in a final Senate inquiry report into the Albanese Government's waste reduction and recycling policies reveals Australia is losing the war on waste and that our current and historic federal policy framework has failed.
The Greens are today calling on both major parties to unequivocally commit to mandating our nation's waste reduction targets, banning harmful single-use plastics, and legislating extended producer responsibility schemes in the next parliament.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for waste and recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson:
"Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the planet - and like most environmental problems, it is also a filthy political problem.
"This report outlines compelling evidence that Australia is losing the war on waste and that our current and historic federal policy framework has failed. This is hardly surprising given our framework hinges on industry self-regulation and voluntary systems of reducing waste.
"It is absurd that Australia's waste reduction targets are not government regulated or legally binding. Successive federal governments have chosen to put the responsibility of waste reduction and recycling at the feet of consumers, rather than hold to account the big producers, brands, and retailers of plastic packaging and other waste that is polluting our planet.
"There are many critical recommendations made by this report that our future government could act on to turn the toxic tide of waste in Australia. These include legislating a Circular Economy Act, implementing an ambitious producer-funded mandatory national product stewardship scheme, and enforcing packaging design requirements with mechanisms to drive demand for recycled materials.
"The evidence in this 200-page report is clear - there is no more time to waste. The time for constant reviews and consultation is over, we have all the evidence we need to fix the waste crisis, what we are lacking is a government with the political ambition to do it.
"The Greens call on both major parties to unequivocally and immediately commit to mandating our nation's waste reduction targets, banning harmful single use plastics, and legislating extended producer responsibility schemes in the next parliament."
