In an era when the world becomes more introspective at the effect the production of single use plastics and consumables is having on the planet, Australia is beginning to look more closely at how it recycles.
To date, we have relied more and more on passing along our recyclable materials to destinations overseas. Up until the point where in some cases, these countries stopped taking them. It is now going to require a rethink by the government on how we should be tackling this problem.
This last week saw the Federal Government, Assistant Minister for Waste and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans in Shepparton.
Minister Evans was at Foott Waste along with local Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum, to look at some of the processes involved in recycling the various materials they handle.
“I have a particular focus on the government’s initiatives and funding around waste reduction and recycling, and some of our environmental management,” Minister Evans said.
Prior to the election, industry associations showed that both major parties had outlined substantive commitments to recycling infrastructure, establishing local markets for recycled content and developing solutions for plastic waste.
With millions of tonnes of material to be recycled each year, the exercise is likely to take a number of years before the country can fully be self sustaining.
Sometime during the sixties, American author, Vance Packard wrote of the Waste Makers, a comment on American consumerism. Australia has to some extent followed suit albeit, a few years behind.
Peter Foott, the owner of Foott Waste Solutions suggested that we should have been looking at this problem thirty years ago. The cost now is going to run into billions of dollars to properly treat some of the waste material we produce.
In the meantime, people can begin to make their own progress towards waste reduction. Looking for products in recyclable packaging or no packaging if possible. The idea that peeled oranges need to be sold in plastic wrapping beggars belief.
The Victorian Government, among the last to do so, has proposed to impose a return deposit on various drink container types. Something that should have taken place long before this.
