Industry leaders gathered in Canberra at the National Plastics Summit to find new solutions to the challenge of plastic waste and prompt action from governments, industry, and nongovernmental organisations.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the summit with a call for an improvement in kerbside recycling.
“When we take the time and effort to sort, clean and dispose of something in the recycling bin, it’s pretty reasonable that we think that it’ll be recycled – but only 21 per cent of plastic waste put in the yellow-lidded kerbside bins is recycled,” Morrison said.
“We’re getting ripped off. There’s a promise that’s implicit. You’ve got the bin, you put it in there, and you expect the right thing to be done with it. It’s important that when we have programmes in place to deal with that material, that promise is honoured. Otherwise people will give up on it.”
Minister for the environment Sussan Ley is hosting the National Plastics Summit. It is a one-day forum of 200 leaders from government, industry, and community sectors.
The forum aims to identify new opportunities to directly address targets under the National Waste Policy Action Plan.
Several organisations have made significant announcements in concert with the forum:
- The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) announced the establishment of the ANZPAC Plastics Pact.
- Unilever said it would increase the use of recycled material this year.
- Pact Group said it would invest $500m in the circular economy.
- Nestle and iQ Renew said they would launch a soft plastics recycling trial.
- McDonalds announced it would phase out plastic cutlery by the end of the year.
