Australia's Rubbish On The Move

Thursday, 05 November 2009 15:14

Peter Garrett and State Environment Ministers have taken their first historic steps towards a recycling economy, the Boomerang Alliance said today.

“The announcement of a National Waste Policy for Australia is long overdue and should set the basis for future leadership on waste and recycling. This is an opportunity for recycling to lead the much needed momentum for Australia’s green economy,” said Dave West, National Campaign Director of the Boomerang Alliance.

Jeff Angel, Director of Total Environment Centre said today’s decision “marks a sea change in waste policy after years of inaction with the endorsement of the first national scheme to make producers responsible for collecting and recycling televisions and computers.

“The door is now open for the wide-scale recycling of all electronic waste and other problem products. This should be the end of the inertia and short-term thinking that has dominated so far.”

Environment Victoria campaigner Fraser Brindley said this decision was very welcome and very timely.

“Australians currently send more than 14 million televisions and computers to landfill each year,” he said. “With the switch over to digital transmission looming the need to deal with this issue is urgent, so it’s great news that the federal government has announced a scheme today.

The EPHC delayed however, on a final decision on a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on container deposits, with ministers agreeing to consider the issue out of session after final material confirmed is acquired.

“The delay on container deposits is disappointing,” said Jeff Angel, Total Environment Centre (TEC) Director. “Ministers should be assured that the growing campaign won’t stop and the sooner they meet the community’s demands for a container deposit system, the better it will be for the environment and the economy.”

The overall outcome of the EPHC has also been tainted by a complete debacle on toxic tyres, said Dave West.

“For every week we delay a decision we are allowing the export of millions of tyres, causing pollution in developing countries. This has exposed the failure of the assessment processes for new environmental policy. Australia should not be condoning a toxic trade as a solution to our waste problem.”