It looks like we need to wait until after the next election to get action on packaging. While Minister Tania Plibersek and the State Ministers talked about making the packaging industry responsible for their wastes (9 June 2023 press release) very little has happened since.
The Ministers (from all political parties) promised :
- Mandatory packaging design standards
- Bans on harmful chemicals
- Making companies responsible for their packaging waste.
In fact, Minister Plibersek went so far as to say “Even large companies like Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola have told me they want to see regulation to help the world reach a circular economy. Until now, governments have ignored calls to step in and set mandatory targets. While some in the industry have stepped up to voluntarily reduce their impact, it’s just not enough. We’re changing that.”
Ummm? That was 9th June 2023.
There has been some debate on whether reform should be implemented under the current Co-regulatory model of APCO (Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation) or some new body (e.g the Senate Inquiry into Waste in 2024), under the current RAWR Act (Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020), the existing NEPMs (National Environment Protection Measures, National Environment Protection Council Act 1994) or some new Act. To be frank it doesn’t matter. I, like most consumers, don’t care a zot which Act is used or whether it is perfect or not. We just want positive action to reduce the impact of packaging on the environment.
While all the above has NOT been happening, APCO released the latest Australian Packaging Consumption and Recovery Data Report, in December 2024. (It reports on 2022/23 data).
It provides sobering reading on how we are NOT fixing the problem.
Here are some highlights:
- We put 7 Million tonnes of Packaging onto Market(POM) each year:
- Made up of approx. 4MT cardboard, 1MT glass and 1MT of plastic andapproximately 0.5MT each of wood and metal.
- Our Recycling Rate(RR) is 56 per cent or 3.9MT:
- Glass is best at 69 per cent followed by cardboard at 65 per cent and plastic at a pathetic 19 per cent;
- Plastic recycling has only shifted from 16 per cent to 19 per cent over six years (2017/18). That is so poor as to be within the realm of data error. In fact, plastic recycling has actually fallen by 24,000 t (9 per cent) in the last 12 months, according to the report.
- The Recycled Content(RC) used in packaging has improved slightly:
- Cardboard has grown from 49 per cent (2017) to 56 per cent now;
- Glass from 32 per cent to 50 per cent;
- Plastic 2 per cent to 8 per cent.
- The national 2025 Targetsare a bit of a joke:
- 100 per cent of packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable – currently 86 per cent (it was 88 per cent in 2017); and it does not mean it is actually recycled or composted. Just that it is capable of being so;
- 70 per cent of all plastic packaging is recycled – it is a pathetic 19 per cent and was 16 per cent in 2017 ie, no movement at all worth mentioning;
- 50 per cent average recycled content is 44 per cent and was 35 per cent in 2017 so some minor improvement;
- Problematic and unnecessary single use packaging will be phased out – the only real movement was the bans on retail shopping bags (done by the States). Nothing has been banned at the Federal level.
In short packaging reform is in a sorry state. I hasten to point out that it is not the fault of individual companies. Innovating on your own is costly and puts you at a competitive disadvantage to your free-rider competitors. It requires Government to set the market conditions.
On the positive side we have seen some companies innovating and we have seen States and local government introduce CDS collections. Also the Victorian State government has introduced a domestic glass collection bin (with mixed opinions on its purpose, cost and utility).
There has also been some Federal/State grant funding for new processing facilities. This is welcomed. But none of it is at a scale to achieve the Targets, as demonstrated by the APCO report.
The key point of this article is that there has been no system-wide regulatory reform, as promised on 9th June 2023. Let’s hope the Federal election clears the air and gives reform a chance to happen.