Waste and water management company SUEZ welcomes the commitments from Australia's Environment Ministers to address the current issues within the waste industry.
Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ in Australia & New Zealand, Mark Venhoek, said he's pleased to see the Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association meet today to discuss the future of Australia's waste. Mr Venhoek welcomed the Government's focus on making 100% of products recyclable and re-useable by 2025 although believes that swift action and Investment needs to be made to ensure that this goal is met.
"As a waste industry, we are falling behind globally and we require fast action to stimulate the local market for recycled and recovered products," Mr Venhoek said.
"We support the Government's 100% recycled packaging goal which will create a sustainable demand for these products but believe that it should be mandatory that packaged products can be re-used. "Collaboration to achieving this is key and without investment from Government and a commitment from packaging manufacturers and industry working together, we will not achieve this goal. Mr Venhoek also welcomed the commitment from different levels of Government to explore energy-from-waste projects and the support for the technology from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
"Energy from Waste technology is the missing link in the waste management hierarchy and waste infrastructure in Australia. After reduction, re-use and recycling, there is a crucial element: to recover the energetic value from waste," he said.
About SUEZ With 90,000 people on five continents, SUEZ is a world leader in smart and sustainable resource management. We provide water and waste management solutions that enable cities and industries optimise their resource management and strengthen their environmental and economic performance. To meet increasing demands to overcome resource quality and scarcity challenges, SUEZ is leading the resource revolution. With the full potential of digital technologies and innovative solutions, SUEZ recovers 17 million tonnes of waste per year, produces 3.9 million tons of secondary raw materials and 7 TWh of local renewable energy. It also secures water resources, delivering wastewater treatment services to 58 million people and reusing 882 million m3 of wastewater. /Media Release
