Victoria can take steps now to address recycling crisis

Australian Greens

The Victorian Greens are calling for immediate action on the deepening recycling crisis in Victoria.

There are clear policies that can be implemented immediately:

  • Introducing a container deposit scheme to reduce plastic bottles going to waste;
  • A ban on unnecessary single use plastics
  • Clear policy direction and investment to grow the recycling industry in Victoria so we no longer need to send our recycling overseas

While Infrastructure Victoria can provide welcome input into long term solutions, delaying action for another year could see more than 2000 tonnes of recycling dumped to landfill.

As stated by Samantha Ratnam MP, Leader of the Victorian Greens and Acting Victorian Greens Spokesperson on the Environment:

“The Andrews Government is in waste policy paralysis. It’s been 16 months since China closed its door to our contaminated recycling and now as the crisis is deepening internationally they want to delay another year before they start to act.

“China is not alone. Indonesia has announced it is closing its doors to plastic recycling by 2022, and is joining Malaysia and the Philippines in sending back shipping containers of contaminated recycling to its countries of origin. This will only make our stockpiling worse.

“We can no longer dump our waste on poor countries. We must take responsibility. We can create a cleaner, more sustainable world and generate much needed recycling industry jobs in regional areas like the LaTrobe Valley.

“We are at a crossroads. The community and the environment cannot afford our response to the recycling crisis to be burning our rubbish. The Government needs to rule out waste incinerators and invest in our clean sustainable future.

“The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates we have over $500million in the Sustainability Fund. What are we waiting for?”

/Public Release. View in full here.