Victoria’s waste management system needs a complete overhaul

The Victorian Greens have echoed the state waste inquiry report’s calls for broad scale reform of Victoria’s waste management system but say that the report does not go far enough.

The Greens-established inquiry confirmed that the Government had failed to adequately prepare for China’s National Sword policy, and as a result had left Victoria in a literal mess.

There was a systematic failure by the Government and its agencies to heed to warnings and prepare Victoria for a recycling crisis that could have been averted.

To effectively combat the state’s waste crisis, the Greens have called on the Government to:

• Introduce a container refund scheme immediately
• Introduce a state-wide food organics kerbside collection service
• Introduce a separate bin for glass waste
• Expand the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags to include other single-use plastics
• Establish a moratorium on any proposed waste incineration plants in Victoria

Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam, said the inquiry saw over 700 submissions from councils, industry experts and environmental organisations who called for real action on recycling and waste.

Victorian Greens spokesperson for environment, Ellen Sandell, said the Government could take immediate action to reduce the levels of waste being sent to landfill or stockpiled, to ensure the future protection of our environment.

As stated by Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:

“The report does not go far enough when it comes to the types of transformations we need to solve the waste crisis.

“The Government and its agencies failed to heed the warnings and prevent the collapse of recycling in Victoria.

“Throughout the inquiry we heard from councils, industry experts and environmental organisations, and they strongly supported what we’ve been calling for. I hope this report will result in the action needed to fix our waste crisis.”

As stated by Victorian Greens spokesperson for environment, Ellen Sandell MP:

“This inquiry has confirmed what we’ve thought all along – that we are in a waste crisis.

“The Victorian Labor Government must clean up this mess by introducing a 10c refund on bottles and cans, separate glass bins and a ban on unnecessary plastic packaging like on fruit and vegetables.”