Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) is spearheading a suite of twenty-six projects that will be funded by industry and government to remove 30,000 tonnes of waste from Australian landfill. It is nearing the end of its five year period, begun on 1 July 2010, to target improved design, away-from-home recycling, litter and product stewardship by all parties in the packaging chain.
The APC has committed $4.5 million in funding which will result in a total investment of $11 million in recycling and litter reduction across Australia. It provides funding to projects that contribute towards the achievement of sustainable packaging outcomes and increase the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in Australia. This funding is seen as a way to 'close the loop' via collaborative action between manufacture, use, recovery and reuse of packaging materials. Only projects that are gauged to have a high degree of success achieve funding.
APC’s chief executive officer, Stan Moore, said that the collaborative approach enabled by the APC framework has proved successful in achieving increases in recycling and reducing litter.
The projects include a public education campaign to reduce litter and illegal dumping, the installation of public place recycling bins, improvements in the collection of recyclable material from remote Indigenous communities and the introduction of modified plastic packaging which increases recyclability.
Want to know who received funding for what? Click here.
