The Victorian Greens have welcomed Infrastructure Victoria’s interim report on how to tackle the state’s waste and recycling crisis, which supports a proactive approach by the Government.
Member for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell, said the Victorian Labor Government was fast running out of excuses to avoid investing in measures to adequately manage the state’s recycling and reduce waste.
Many of the actions broadly supported in the report have been championed by the Greens for years, including:
- The introduction of a container deposit scheme
- Separate bins for glass and including food scraps in green waste bins
- Single use plastic bans
- Investment in the recycling industry and procurement targets for government
- A policy that ensures recycling and organics are not burnt in waste-to-energy incinerators, several of which are at various stages of development in Victoria.
With nearly 90 per cent of Victorians being open to changing how they sort their waste and recyclables, it’s high time the Government started to seriously invest in a these solutions to our waste crisis.
As stated by Ellen Sandell, Victorian Greens Spokesperson for Environment:
“What’s holding they Labor Government back? Over 52 councils, environment groups and now Infrastructure Victoria support the Greens plan for a 10c refund on bottles and cans and separate glass and compost bins to solve the waste crisis. Premier Andrews and Labor must act now.
“The Greens have been calling for a refund on bottles and cans for a decade now and yet for some reason our Government is choosing to bury its head in landfill.
“The Greens have the solutions to our crisis, the Government just has to be willing to listen.”
