The Boomerang Alliance, a coalition of 55 NGOs, is calling on all political parties and candidates to commit to stronger packaging waste reforms in the next Commonwealth Parliament, including a mandatory national product stewardship scheme for packaging by 2026.
The alliance said millions of tonnes of waste, including soft plastics, are being landfilled or littered each year, and effective product stewardship is needed to drive circular economy practices. It is advocating for national targets and producer responsibility measures across the entire packaging lifecycle, including for soft plastics.
"Making producers responsible for packaging is a cost-of-living gain because packaging resource recovery is more cost-efficient, saves resources, and gives councils the opportunity to reduce waste collection fees to ratepayers," the organisation said.
The Boomerang Alliance identified three key priorities requiring urgent attention after the election: mandatory targets for packaging reduction, redesign, reuse, recovery, and recycled content; a national soft plastics service with full producer cost recovery; and the continued phase-out of problematic single-use plastics.
The alliance has also provided a platform on its website, https://www.cutthewrap.org.au, where the public can send messages directly to their local candidates regarding packaging waste reforms.
