2020-07-06
Greens Waste and Recycling spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, comments on today's announcement of a 'Recycling Modernisation Plan,' highlighting yet another wasted opportunity to fix the recycling crisis as well as the plastics that are polluting our oceans.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “After three years of sitting on its hands, the Government has finally moved to fix the recycling crisis - unfortunately, today's initiative just won't work.
“All the money in the world isn’t going to fix the waste crisis if we don’t improve the way we recycle.
“This means stopping the problem at its source: we need to stop producing so much waste and invest in a ‘circular economy.’
“The recycling crisis is a quality crisis - we need to improve the quality of the material that is going into the recycling process to begin with.
“We need the Government to implement mandatory recycling targets and product stewardship schemes.
“Voluntary schemes - the Government’s current approach - simply don’t work.
“Even though the recycling industry has called for this, the Government still isn’t listening.
“We also need a ban on the single-use plastic products that pollute our oceans.
"The European parliament has done so but our Government has remained silent on this single most important thing it can do.
“The Greens' bill to set mandatory targets and ban single-use plastics will come before the Senate soon and this is based on five years of Senate work and consultation.
"The Government can’t be allowed to spin its way out of this and say it's fixed the recycling crisis when so much more needs to be done."