Nominations for the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association (WMRR) state branch committee presidents and vice- presidents have opened. Existing two-year terms have expired, enabling all WMRR financial members, with the exception of student members, to now nominate.
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) weekly community webinar series will continue throughout July as it commemorates the 10th anniversary of Plastic Free July with a resource toolkit.
According to APCO, the webinars will take a data deep dive into packaging material flows in Australia, a designer’s guide to the circular economy and sustainable packaging, an introduction to Life Cycle Assessments methodologies, and a look at the rise of sustainable investment in Australia. They will also host a session exploring how a behaviour science approach can help to deliver better environmental outcomes around plastic.
APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly said that, “…even during such unusual circumstances, the APCO community is keen to continue growing their collective understanding of the circular economy and sustainable packaging best practice.”
Plastic Free July
The resource toolkit kit contains the latest plastic packaging statistics and 15 case studies showcasing organisations that are championing issues like single-use plastic avoidance and phase out, reusable packaging, community education and recycled content.
Organisations highlighted include Responsible Cafes, Cove by Natures Organics, CHEP Australia, Loop, REDcycle, Plastic Police, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, THE ICONIC, Plastic Free Communities, Take 3 For the Sea and Operation Clean Sweep. A range of APCO-led initiatives are also highlighted, including the ANZPAC program, the Australasian Recycling Label Program and FY21 Priority Projects addressing plastic packaging.
“Plastic Free July is the perfect opportunity to focus on positive solutions to the plastic packaging challenge. We have developed our new Plastic Free July toolkit to recognise some of the good work and innovation already being delivered – and highlight a range of tangible ways that consumers, businesses and governments can drive practical action in their own community,” Donnelly added.
Toby Kent has joined the board of The Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSD Australia). He was chair of the Future Business Council (FBC), which transferred its intellectual property to BCSD Australia and closed in May.
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has decided that the Waste Management Award 2020 is a Group 2 Award resulting in an increase of 1.75% from the start of the first full pay period on or after November 1, 2020.
Veolia Environmental Services Australia, Sacyr Environment Australia Pacific Partnerships and Remondis (a consortium comprised of Pacific Partnerships and Remondis Australia, together with CIMIC Group Companies CPB Contractors and UGL) have been shortlisted for new waste management infrastructure in Victoria.
Major recycling reform in NSW is at a critical stage and the decision to push back a ban on waste glass exports from next month to next year, does not alleviate the urgent need for this reform to progess, according to Local Government NSW (LGNSW).
The National Waste Action Plan was agreed by Federal, State and Local governments in 2019 with the following targets:
The schedule of priority projects for the 2020/21 financial year for the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) was launched last week on the weekly APCO Community Webinar.
ICC Sydney (Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre) has won the UFI Sustainable Development Award 2020, designed to recognise companies that have implemented a successful waste management approach for exhibitions.
The South Australian government has set an ambitious target of zero avoidable waste to landfill by 2030 which it believes will drive action during and beyond the lifespan of its proposed draft strategy.