Australia is set to go all out with effective recycling in the coming years. Much has been said about the negative effects of poor waste management on the local and global scale and the government is determined to do something about it. Plastic is here to stay so we need to find a way to make it work for everyone. The Australian government teamed up with the plastic industry to solve the massive problem that is plastic pollution. It cannot be denied that plastic manufacturing is helping the economy remain stable and strong. So it is essential that it is properly guided and sustained.

There are ways to end plastic pollution and all such solutions are being deployed today. Read on to learn just how determined Australia is when it comes to conquering plastic pollution. 

8 Recycling Updates That Will Make Waves in the Australian Plastic Industry

1.The Australian government and the recycling industry poured significant investment into the improvement of recycling infrastructure and technologies in the country.

An Aussie uses an average of 230 plastic bags a year. This amounts to over 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste in the country every single year. No wise government could remain neutral over such data. This is why the Australian government teamed up with the recycling industry to address the problem directly. 

2. The goal of the Australian government is to increase the country’s domestic recycling capacity.

To directly address plastic pollution, the Australian government is determined to level up the country’s capacity for local recycling. To do this, it poured funds into the improvement of recycling technologies and infrastructure that can help in bolstering the country’s recycling capacity. Australia is fully determined to be fully responsible for all the plastic that its citizens consume. The country has no intention whatsoever to further contribute to global plastic pollution.

3. 70% of plastic waste in the country is set to be composted or recycled by 2025.

To effectively measure the country’s success in handling local recycling, the government is determined to aim for a 70% recycling capacity come 2025. This means that by 2025, the country will already be able to effectively manage 2.45 million tonnes of plastic waste. This is a major project because as of press time, only 320,000 tonnes of plastic gets recycled in the country. To date, Australia is only ever able to recycle 9.4% of its plastic waste. It will be a long way to go before the country reaches 70% but there is no turning back now. Failure is not an option.

4. The federal government already invested $250 million in the Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF).

The Australian government poured $60.4 million into the Recycling Modernisation Fund(RMF). With all past fundings considered, it has now effectively poured $250 million into RMF. The project has since provided over 10,000 jobs and has diverted over 10 million tonnes of waste. This is in line with the country’s goal of stopping its shipment of waste overseas. This is all in tune with the sustainable circular economy that the country is set to fully achieve.

5. The RMF now has $1 billion solely dedicated to effective recycling. 

With funding from the government and the recycling industry, RMF now has $1 billion to use for the following goals:

1. Provide aid for the research of new technologies and infrastructure that can allow for the local re-manufacture of hard-to-recycle plastics including takeaway containers and soft plastics
2. Increase domestic plastic reprocessing capacity from 227,000 tonnes to 420,000 tonnes by 2025
3. Support the banning of unprocessed glass
4. Support in the sorting, cleaning, and processing of mixed plastics before re-manufacturing.

6. Waste Sense is set to increase its plastic reprocessing capacity.

Waste Sense is Australia’s national waste service broker that allows local businesses to effectively handle and manage their waste needs. It revealed that more Australians are now aware that new products can be made out of soft plastic packaging. Australians are efficient recyclers who go out of their way to recycle on a weekly basis. To date, Aussies are able to recycle 87% of cardboard and paper annually. This is why Waste Sense is hopeful that such will also be the trajectory when it comes to plastic waste.

7. End-of-life concepts for all plastic packaging will be big for all Australians.

Australia is now going all out in making all its citizens full aware of end-of-life concepts. Fully understanding this concept is one of the keys that will allow the country to have a functional circular economy. All Australians are encouraged to always think about the end-of-life options of all their purchases – those involving plastics especially. No Australian should be careless enough to purchase or consume anything without being fully aware of how to properly dispose of such. 

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8. The REDcycle Program will be in full blast.

The REDcycle Program is now ever-active in creating innovative solutions for all. It has gathered retailers, manufacturers, and consumers to come up with solid ways to create a sustainable future with plastic. The program is determined to make it easy for consumers to keep plastic packaging and plastic bags out of landfills. To date, it has deployed over 2,000 bins all over the country. In 2021 alone, there has been a 200% increase in the volume collected. Such items are set to be recycled into new furniture, signage, bollards, concrete alternatives, and more. 

Reference:

20 Startling Waste & Landfill Statistics Australia (2022)

https://whatasleep.com.au/blog/waste-landfill-statistics-australia/#

Recycling Crisis: How does Australia Compare to the Rest of the World

https://www.spacer.com.au/blog/recycling-crisis-how-does-australia-compare-to-the-rest-of-the-world

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