The 2020 federal budget funds several recycling initiatives, all of which have been previously announced, but are nonetheless important for boosting the circular economy and reducing waste in Australia.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, in his budget speech delivered this week, said by recycling more waste, Australia can also create jobs.
“The Morrison government is banning the export of plastic, paper, tyres and glass waste. In the words of the Prime Minister: ‘it’s our waste, it’s our responsibility’,” Frydenberg said.
“This budget will invest $250m to modernise our recycling infrastructure, stop more than 600,000 tonnes of waste ending up in landfill and by doing so help to create a further 10,000 jobs.”
Included in that $249m is the $190m Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF), which will go into new infrastructure to sort and recycle plastic, paper, tyres, and glass. The government says the RMF would stimulate $600m of investment in the local recycling industry. It comes as the country institutes a ban on the export of waste plastic, paper, tyres, and glass.
Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation CEO Brooke Donnelly said it is fantastic to see the federal government continuing to make waste and recycling a top priority in Australia.
“For anyone who wants to understand more about what this year’s budget means for the resource recovery industry, APCO is delighted to announce that we will be joined by Trevor Evans, the assistant minister for waste reduction and environmental management, together with three leading industry representatives for a post-budget webinar discussion next Wednesday (14 October),” she said.
“Joining Minister Evans for the session will be Ruffy Geminder, chairman of Pact Group; Justin Frank chief customer officer from Suez; and Sam Andersen, chair of the APCO Board. To register your place to attend, visit www.packagingcovenant.org.au.”
Tetra Pak Oceania managing director Andrew Pooch welcomed the government’s $250m investment as part of the budget to modernise Australia’s recycling infrastructure and reduce waste.
“This measure is a good start to improve recycling rates, but more can be done. Recycling has an important role to play in Australia, but more so the sourcing and transport of the product and packaging,” he said.
“There’s a need to expand the focus beyond solely the end-of-life of products, such as packaging. It is important to also look at the entire value chain to effectively contribute to lowering our carbon footprint and driving real climate action.”
