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Export less, recycle more: new Australian legislation boosts national responsibility

Wednesday, 23 September 2020

New legislation passed in August is the first step towards taking stopping the reliance on exports to deal with waste in Australia.

New legislation passed in August is the first step towards taking responsibility and stopping the reliance on exports to deal with waste in Australia.

Per the new bill, plastic, paper, and tyre waste will be slowly phased out starting January 2021, and waste glass will be effectively banned.

That accounts for 645,000 tonnes of waste, which will be processed in Australian facilities instead. The bill is part of an ample movement aimed at improving the lives of local communities and developing a national recycling framework.

With initiatives like the Bin Trim Program in NSW, Australia plans to create 10,000 new jobs in the recycling sector, which is a 32% increase compared to the existing jobs and will offer local businesses more financial incentives to dispose of waste more sustainably.

According to Environment Minister Sussan Ley, Australia has been relying on exports to China for far too long, and it’s time to take responsibility.

With landfills already full, the national recycling framework is a positive change that was already received with enthusiasm by the Australian Council of Recycling and the Australian Food and Grocery Council.

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