The 2020 Food Waste Report by Rabobank illustrates that the Coronavirus pandemic has derailed Australia’s progress in reducing food waste, leading to a spike in the amount of food Australian households are throwing out.
Australian Circular Economy Hub comes to life
An overwhelming 88 per cent of Australian business leaders believe the circular economy will be important to the future of business, according to new research from Planet Ark.
Industry applauds Victorian state budget
The National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) has said that the three new funds in the Victorian state budget yesterday that are in addition to the Recycling Victoria allocation is a positive move for the industry.
AWRE takes a close look at waste and COVID
The opening session of the Australian Waste and Recycling Exhibition asked, ‘can waste and recycling successfully minimise the negative effects COVID-19?’ The panellists were Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association of NSW executive director Tony Khoury, Local Government NSW President Linda Scott, Veolia Head of Solid Waste Transport Jim Perry and MRA Consulting Group managing director Mike Ritchie.
More WARR leaders question NSW budget
Last week WMRR CEO Gayle Sloan rebuked the State Government for failing to address key industry issues. Now the National Waste and Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) has labelled the NSW State Budget as ‘short sighted’, with the real economic potential of the waste and resource recovery industry being bypassed for a reliance on landfill levies. …
NSW Circular Economy gets funding
While the industry waits for a strategic direction on waste for NSW, new intakes for the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Circulate and Civil Construction Market Programs have opened that aim to divert valuable materials from landfill for re-use, recycling and industrial ecology projects.
Planet Ark leads coffee capsule scheme with Nespresso and Woolworths Group
A consortium led by the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation to recycle coffee capsules is another beneficiary of the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF).
The funding will go towards the development of an industry-wide national product stewardship scheme for all coffee capsules available on the domestic market. According to Planet Ark, the project is critical to raising recycling rates, reducing organic material in landfill and increasing access to collection points for a rapidly growing waste stream and already has the support of industry leaders including Vittoria, Kruger ANZ and Grinders Coffee.
Planet Ark CEO Paul Klymenko Ark said it will accelerate the expansion of an industry-led product stewardship scheme for coffee capsules. “This will enable Australians to enjoy their home-made espresso, knowing the product’s end-of-life is being managed responsibly.”
Minister Evans noted that, “Australians love their coffee, and this new product stewardship scheme for coffee capsules will reduce waste going to landfill, lift recycling rates and help consumers make a practical, positive difference for the environment.”
To execute the program, Planet Ark will lead a consortium including Nespresso and Woolworths Group. Nespresso brings the invaluable experience of running its own coffee capsule recycling program in Australia for many years. Woolworths Group will work with the project partners to evaluate the feasibility of in-store capsule collection and subsequent transport to recycling facilities.
Nespresso General Manager Jean-Marc Dragoli said the company was keen to see coffee capsule recycling offered industry-wide.
“We have developed a robust program which has been collecting and recycling them in Australia for 10 years. We are keen to work with other manufacturers so that all consumers buying capsules will have access to recycling. This is why we partnered with Planet Ark’s consortium, to make this a reality.”
Woolworths 360, director Kozlovic added develop innovative solutions like the Coffee Pod recycling initiative would make sustainable choices easier for our customers. “We look forward to offering them a convenient place to drop off their used coffee pods, knowing they’ll be saved from landfill and have a second life in a new product.
“We’re always looking for ways to support the development of a circular economy, whether it’s through smart initiatives like this one or our ongoing work to make our own packaging more recyclable.”
It was a sustainable and future focused awards evening for APCO
More than 20 accolades were awarded during the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Annual Awards ceremony covering a broad range of industry sectors, including retail, electronics, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and food and beverage.
How TexBack PVC composite recycling scheme benefits from NPSIF
The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and its project partner Specialised Textiles Association (STA) have secured Government grant funding of nearly $350,000 to further research into the recycling of waste PVC and polyester (PES) composite textile products in Australia.
How a SA primary school reduced waste by 87 per cent
South Australian start-up Bin Shift has granted its first-ever Award for Outstanding Impact to South Australia’s Elizabeth Grove Primary School after an audit found that the school has reduced its waste to landfill by 87 per cent.