Plastic waste is a big feature at this year’s Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo (AWRE), presented by Diversified Communications, with speakers from Australian Food And Grocery Council, National Retail Association, NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and more taking the stage to discuss how we tackle it.
With Plastic Free July currently underway, there’s no better time to highlight the issues of single-use plastics and plastic waste reduction.
Plastic Free July is a key initiative of the not-for-profit charity Plastic Free Foundation, which aims to work towards the vision of seeing a world free of plastic waste. In 2023, the foundation reported that Plastic Free July resulted in a global reduction in plastic consumption by 240 million kg, with 87% of participants making at least one lasting change.
However, when looking at the top six countries in participation, Australia is not present:
1. China
2. India
3. USA
4. South Korea
5. Italy
6. Brazil
According to the Australia Institute, the amount of plastic consumed in Australia by 2050 will more than double despite government policies aimed at creating a ‘circular economy’. Only 14% of plastic waste is kept out of landfill, suggesting that Australian retailers, companies, and individuals need to become more aware of how plastics they create and consume are affecting the environment.
At this year’s AWRE, Thursday the 25th of July includes two seminar programs which revolve around the themes of plastic waste and recyclable packaging.
The Retail Speaker Series, curated by the National Retail Association, involves sessions on the steps retailers are taking to lead in sustainability and stewardship, as well as cover topics on single-use plastics and packaging.
Bonnie Marshall, the Policy Officer for the National Retail Association, says when it comes to single-use plastic bans across Australian states, businesses are often understanding, but need support.
“Industry and businesses are taking proactive steps to understand changes in regulations highly supportive of implementing more sustainable practices, but often need support to understand and implement the changes. To understand obligations across the States and Territories, we encourage businesses to register for our plastic ban information sessions or contact our toll-free hotline,” says Marshall.
The second program is the NSW EPA Seminar Theatre, which includes sessions on the next steps NSW needs to take to reduce unnecessary plastic use and a dynamic panel discussion exploring the future of soft plastic recycling. This panel discussion will include iQRenew‘s pioneering Bag in Bin concept and Curby Program, innovative solutions like Circular Contracts by Close the Loop, and insights from biotechnology company Licella.
Phoebe Ashe, Manager of Circular Economy Policy at the NSW EPA, says we need a circular approach, avoiding plastic waste where possible – or when it can’t be avoided, plastic items are reused, recycled, or properly disposed of.
“We’ve already made good progress towards this by eliminating certain single-use plastic items like lightweight plastic bags and plastic straws. Now, we’re looking at further action to target other problematic plastic items that are frequently littered, contain harmful chemicals, release microplastics into the environment, or are regulated in other states and territories,” says Ashe.
“There are many reusable and more sustainable alternatives to single-use, unnecessary, and problematic plastic items. Small changes in our day to day make a difference. People can take reusable cups with them on their daily commute for their takeaway coffee, or use reusable bags on their shopping trips. They can buy loose fruit and vegetables that aren’t packaged in plastic, or celebrate special occasions with light displays, bubbles, kites, or flowers instead of balloons. These choices all add up.”
Last year, the NSW Government released the NSW Plastics: Next Steps paper for public consultation.
“We’re now considering the feedback we received on the paper to inform actions to further tackle unnecessary or problematic plastic items. We intend to release these actions for public consultation in the coming months. We encourage people and businesses to participate in this consultation process when it begins, to contribute to our next steps for tackling plastic pollution in NSW,” Ashe says.
AWRE Director, Ali Lawes, says: “Plastic Free July is a movement that serves as a reminder of how important it is for every one of us to do our part in making small changes that can make a big impact. The initiative is an effective way to get the public thinking twice before buying single-use plastics and hopefully making a positive change towards more circular options, like reusable water bottles – but it shouldn’t stop once August comes around.
AWRE will be hosting critical discussions on how we reduce the use of plastics in order to better protect our environment, and we look forward to seeing how those discussions will turn into action in the months following.”
To learn more about the plastic waste and recycling sessions taking place at AWRE 2024, you can access the full seminar program here.
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