AUSTRALIA generated 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2018-19, however only nine percent was sent for recycling, while 84 percent was sent to landfill, according to data released by the ABS last week. The nation’s households were the largest contributor, supplying 47 percent of all plastic waste.
There’s no doubt the responsible production, distribution and recovery of recyclable plastic has become a flashpoint in people’s consciousness.
According to Ross Musolino, convenor of Transition Towns Tatura, an organisation concerned with improving the resilience of our community in the face of climate change and peak oil, he is very supportive of a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) for Victoria.
“With the known benefit of reducing litter and thus diminishing threats to the environment, recycling beverage containers can only be a win-win for our communities,” he said.
Over its seven-year history, Transition Towns Tatura has participated in an ‘Adopt-a-Road’ scheme run by Vicroads, collecting rubbish over two stretches of roads entering Tatura twice a year (a distance of around 4.5km) and has picked-up an estimated 7,000 bottles and cans in that time.
“Offering people ten cents a bottle will reduce littering as it has in many other parts of the world,” Mr Musolino said.
“A CDS also allows recovery of a vast number of resources and can lead to a circular economy.
“Hopefully, this will then have a positive influence on other forms of recycling as people start to think a little more about things.”
