2018-04-19
Greens spokesperson for Waste and Recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, urges the Ipswich City Council to reconsider their decision to start dumping recyclable material and calls upon the Federal Government and states to urgently agree on a policy response at next Friday's COAG meeting that averts similar decisions from other Australian councils.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “No council should be dumping recycling in landfill full stop. It is unacceptable and I urge the Ipswich Councillors to reconsider this decision, and wait for a full policy response from next Friday’s COAG meeting.
“The China National Sword policy should not be being used as an excuse by councils to dump these materials in the ground but the decision by Ipswich City Council is a timely warning of how councils right across Australia might act if the Federal Government doesn’t put forward a plan to lead us out of this crisis.
“Friday next week, the Meeting of Environment Ministers will be meeting to discuss the recycling crisis and it is critical that at this meeting a national policy response is agreed to. Announcing another talkfest is not going to cut it, Josh Frydenberg needs to show federal government leadership and take control of this right now.
“The entire recycling industry is screaming for a national policy response and so far Josh Frydenberg has failed to engage in the issue in any substantive way.
“If Josh Frydenberg doesn’t put forward a plan that will actually fix this crisis, then more and more councils will make the decision that Ipswich City Council has. The Environment Minister must act now to stop this contagion,” he concluded.