SeatCare, a program to safely dispose of used child car safety seats for recycling will come into life with a grant from the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF).
Product Stewardship grants deliver new allies
Imagine 200 billion chocolate wrappers being recycled. That’s how much soft plastic packaging will be processed under just one of the proposals funded through the Federal Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF).
Paintback names Lucia Cade as chair
Paintback, the industry-led initiative designed to divert unwanted paint and packaging from ending up in landfill and vital waterways, has appointed Lucia Cade as chair of the board of industry leaders and experts.
Coles plastic bags re-used to build carpark
Coles and Victorian recycling organisations RED Group and Replas will install a concrete slab carpark made partly out of recycled soft plastics.
Presently under installation at Coles Horsham in regional Victoria, the carpark is the first commercial construction project in Australia to make use of Polyrok – a sustainable alternative to aggregate minerals used in concrete, such as stone.
Made from plastic bags and soft plastic packaging recovered from the REDcycle program, Polyrock has the potential to divert 105,000 tonnes of soft plastics from landfill each year, if used in commercial concrete projects across Australia, according to the venture partners.
Coles state construction manager Victoria Fiona Lloyd explained that this was the first time the product had been used in a commercial environment, “We know how important it is to support initiatives that help to close the loop with soft plastics.
“This project alone will help repurpose approximately 900,000 pieces of soft plastic, to be used in the carpark at the soon-to-be-competed Coles Horsham redevelopment.
“We’ve worked with RED Group, Replas and RMIT University throughout the whole development process and we’re excited to see how we can use this technology in more of our stores.”
Replas joint managing director Mark Jacobsen added that “Polyrok reduces the carbon footprint due to the reduced thermal mass it provides. This tackles the plastic problem and climate change all while being fit for purpose. If innovative products like this were adopted in all buildings and car parks, the collective reduction in greenhouse gasses would be enormous.”
Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans said the welcomed the collaboration was welcome.
“There is huge potential and opportunity for infrastructure projects to help us build a more circular economy. This is why the Federal Government has prioritised the development of new national standards and guidelines to encourage the use of recycled content in roads and other projects.”
Coles is marking National Recycling Week with this and other initiatives including a new food waste diversion project in Queensland and new sustainability features at its latest supermarket in Chatswood, New South Wales.
Coles has worked with REDcycle since 2011, becoming the first major Australian supermarket to have REDcycle bins in every supermarket. Since the partnership began, Coles and its customers have diverted over 1.3 billion pieces of soft plastic from landfill.
What inspired a fledgling WARR leader to pursue her career
It was while she watched a documentary at the University of New South Wales that revealed the impact that e-waste from western countries was having on the health of the population of African countries, that Celine El‑Khouri made a deep commitment to the WARR industry.
Scotland leads UK’s first deposit return scheme
As Victoria and Tasmania move closer to a CDS, Scotland is introducing the UK’s first deposit return scheme (DRS) which will see a 20 pence (p) fee added to single-use drinks containers in the country from 1 July 2022.
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WA gets serious about its Plastics Plan
Overwhelming community support of 98 per cent in favour of action to reduce the impacts of single-use plastics, has resulted in the release of WA’s Plan for Plastics.
Chemistry Australia and CSIRO determined to end plastic waste
Chemistry Australia and its Plastics Stewardship Australia initiative have partnered with CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, to “transform plastic waste in Australia”.
2020 APCO award finalists
This year, 45 organisations from across nine industry sectors have been recognised for their sustainable packaging innovation and leadership, including their dedication to meeting the 2025 National Packaging Targets.
Container deposit schemes are creating new opportunities for kerbside recycling
Container deposit schemes (CDS) are reducing the number of eligible containers in our existing kerbside recycling bins and creating new opportunities for recycling through the nation’s yellow lid recycling bins.