Teal MPs join calls for Labor to reform plastic packaging standards
Cyan MPs have backed calls for the Albanian government to tackle Australia’s plastic waste crisis, backing a push to force manufacturers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce rather than leaving it to consumers for recycling.
Australians throw away 1.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging every year, but almost all of it ends up in landfill or littering the environment.
The Australia Institute’s 2024 report found plastic waste management practices such as recycling, composting and energy recovery are not fit for purpose. The report concluded that less than 20 percent of all plastic waste produced in the last two decades was recovered through these methods.
The problem couldn’t be solved by households alone, according to Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps, whose Northern Beaches electorate has seen first-hand the effects of plastic pollution on beaches and marine life.
Along with Curtin MP Kate Cheney and the charity Boomerang Alliance, she is calling on the federal government to create a comprehensive producer responsibility plan covering the lifecycle of all packaging and manufacturers; Mandatory national targets for content reduction, reuse, recovery and recycling in plastic packaging should be set and a national producer-financed soft plastic collection plan, including mandatory manufacturer participation, should be immediately implemented.
“For too long, many companies have evaded responsibility for the plastic waste they produce by putting the onus on individuals and households to deal with the problem,” Ms Scamps said.
“Voluntary corporate programs have failed. It’s time to make it mandatory for all companies to take responsibility for their plastic waste, including how much new plastic is produced, how it is collected, recycled and reused.”
Ms. Cheney echoed that sentiment, describing plastic pollution as a “systems problem.”
“And if we want to fix this, we need to control waste at the source, not just deal with it after the fact.
“Households and local councils cannot continue to foot the cleaning bill because these costs are rising year on year.
“The Extended Producer Responsibility scheme makes manufacturers responsible for the entire lifecycle of packaging, encouraging less plastic, better design and stronger reuse and recycling
“So communities don’t have to deal with waste.”
