Waste is a design flaw. It shouldn’t exist.
If we all work together; individuals, businesses and governments, we can eliminate waste through building a truly circular economy.
In a “circular economy”, everything is built for its end-of-life purpose and everything has value.
For too long successive Australian governments have laid the responsibility for change at the feet of public consumers - but to change the way we tackle waste, we need to change the system that creates it.
Our vision for a circular economy will create thousands of new green jobs in research and development, manufacturing and recycling, while cleaning up our environment and protecting our oceans for future generations.
Transitioning to circular economies could generate $175 billion in direct benefit to the Australian economy, and save 16.7 million tonnes of CO2 in Australia by 2040.
The Greens will drive a circular economy with a whole-of-government approach, starting with introducing a Minister for Circular Economy position.
Our plan to build a circular economy will:
- Fund $1bn in to a nationwide compostable processing scheme, supporting local councils to build industrial compostable facilities
- Legislate a national approach to phasing out key single-use plastics by 2025
- Mandate national packaging targets in law
- Invest $500 million over five years into infrastructure and programs to reboot recycling
- Legislate a national approach to container deposit schemes
- Invest $50 million in waste avoidance and reduction research
- Support a Global Plastic Treaty
- Ban industrial incineration of solid waste
- Support the Right to Repair to minimise e-waste
Add your voice and join the campaign for a circular economy.
You can also read the full plan here.