Government report on plastic pollution published
The Drowning in Waste - Plastic Pollution in Australia’s Oceans and Waterways report to the House of Representatives - Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has been published.
Immediately after our group was established in December 2022 we provided a submission to the Inquiry into plastic pollution in Australia’s oceans and waterways under the name of Illawarra Plastic Pollution Reduction Coalition. We are pleased to see that many of our suggestions have been included in the final report, with our submission specifically mentioned a number of times.
Below are the 7 references in the report that quoted or referenced our group: -
1 - Reference 179. Page 39
2.143 Specifically, several submissions encouraged the Australian government to establish clear and attainable goals for plastic reduction and recycling by defining measurable and achievable targets, and effective regulatory tools to ensure a precise direction for the industry.
2 - Reference 26. Page 50
3.23 Several submissions endorsed the suggestion for improved collaboration among states and territories to develop a clear and cohesive, nationwide strategy for prohibiting single-use plastics.
3 - Reference 68. Page 55
3.54 The Illawarra Plastic Pollution Reduction Coalition recommended regulatory options to incentivise recycled content in plastic packaging, such as the United Kingdom’s plastics tax.
4 - Reference 178. Page 69
3.135 National education programs on ocean plastics were considered by stakeholders to the inquiry as vital initiatives for informing the Australian population about the impact of plastic pollution and to change industry and consumer behaviour.
5 - Reference 179. Page 69
3.136 The Illawarra Plastic Pollution Reduction Coalition said that a national education strategy should target packaging designers to increase their understanding about ‘sustainable design standards and the availability of alternative, recyclable materials’.
6 - Reference 180. Page 69
3.136 (Cont’d) Additionally, it should increase education for consumers, both in businesses and households to raise awareness about ‘opportunities to refuse, reuse and recycle plastic packaging’.
7 - Reference 190. Page 71
3.145 The Illawarra Plastic Pollution Reduction Coalition called for the Australian Government to ‘support an evidence-based practical strategy to educate and develop behaviour change interventions’ to decrease public usage of soft plastics, ‘as well as promote recycled products’.
A copy of the Drowning in Waste report is available here at the Parliament of Australia website. There is also link on this page to download a PDF copy of the full report.
A copy of the original submission by Circular Plastics Illawarra from December 2022 under the name of Illawarra Plastic Pollution Reduction Coalition is available here.