Although the Federal Election has come and gone, regrettably, we heard very little during the campaign on environment, our essential industry or climate – other than discussions on energy.
However, just before the election, as Planet Ark elected to pursue voluntary administration (arguably another sign that voluntary stewardship schemes no longer have a place in Australia), we heard that, if successful, an Albanese government would put in rules to produce less waste at first instance, including mandatory packaging design standards and targets. Could this be the whiff of real regulation we need this term of government?
During the election campaign, the “No time to waste” report by the Senate’s Environment and Communications Committee was tabled, which pulled together the almost unanimous frustration of those associated with waste policy in Australia about the need to act. As the Committee’s Chair, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said in his forward, “This report outlines compelling evidence that we are not winning the war on waste and that our current and historic federal policy framework has failed to achieve its objectives.”
On the upside, years of frustration appear to have consolidated support for regulation across the value chain. As Senator Wish-Wilson noted, “One big positive that came out in the evidence is just how much support there is right now for federal government regulatory or legislative intervention in this space.”
The report contains a number of good recommendations. For example,
the need for national regulation, and mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR), with better coordination across states and territories and mandatory targets.
However, to be honest, we do not need any more committees. Rather we need to make far better use of the ones that we have – like the Heads of EPA (where the CEOs sit) – to work together on solving these real challenges. Industry, and Australia, needs real action and meaningful funding.
Read more: Coffs Harbour Waste Conference 2025 report
With the 2030 waste targets looming, decisive action is essential. These targets, which aim to significantly reduce waste, increase recycling rates, and promote a circular economy, represent a vital step toward a sustainable future. Achieving them requires bold leadership, comprehensive policies, and collaborative efforts across all sectors of society.
In WMRR’s view, the Environment Minister needs to prioritise three things – investment, regulation and markets – in order to drive material productivity. They need to invest in the WARR industry, and build Australian resilience through growing onshore remanufacturing capacity.
Action to achieve net zero emissions and prioritising a circular approach to resource management will mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, given that 70 per cent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are linked to material handling and use, and 80 per cent stem from housing, mobility, and nutrition.
These targets are critical – not aspirational – for creating the sustainable economy and environment Australians want and deserve.
The Federal Government must provide active national leadership and create economic and environmental policies that establish a level playing field valuing all resources – both recovered and virgin – across Australia’s common market. Australians need systems that support maximising resource value by ensuring their multiple uses. Secondary raw materials must become as competitive and valued as virgin materials if these targets are to be achieved.
So here is the WMRR blueprint that we will be providing to the Minister on how we capitalise on our essential industry, to not only meet our industry’s targets, but also contribute to the economy’s increased productivity while assisting with meeting net zero and nature positive targets, too.
Priority 1 – Investment: Funding Australia’s circularity
Raising Australia’s resource recovery rate from 67 per cent to 80 per cent by 2030 requires recovering and diverting an additional 10 million tonnes of material from landfill (which also means 10 million tonnes of markets developed by the way). The one-off Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) successfully improved Australia’s resource recovery capacity, co-investing in 139 projects nationwide, creating 1.4 million tonnes of additional processing capacity, and fostering jobs across metropolitan and regional areas. WMRR urges the Federal Government to commit an additional $500 million in new funds to the RMF – to be matched by state governments and private industry – and expand its scope to include all priority waste streams beyond glass, plastics, tyres, paper, and cardboard. Including organics and hazardous waste will sustain the positive momentum of the RMF to meet recovery targets and generate demand for an additional 10 million tonnes of recovered materials by 2030.
Priority 2 – Regulation: Strong regulatory settings
Clear regulations and incentives are essential for secondary raw materials to compete with virgin materials. The government must implement:
• A Circular Economy Act: Establish enforceable environmental standards for all products entering the Australian market, focusing on eco-design, reuse, and recoverability. This Act should include mandatory EPR obligations to drive lifecycle improvements and market demand for recycled content. It should also introduce disincentives for non-recoverable or hard-to-recycle products and encourage modularity and repairability in product design.
• Incentives for Using Recycled Materials: Mandatory EPR schemes for packaging and renewable energy systems (e.g., solar panels), streamlined export regulations, and measures eliminating barriers to recovered material use will enhance Australia’s competitiveness and critical mineral management.
• Carbon Regulation Enhancements: Extending crediting periods for Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) methodologies and developing methodologies for Energy from Waste (EfW) and recycling projects under Australia’s carbon credit unit (ACCU) scheme will unlock investment, create jobs, and reduce emissions.
Priority 3 – Markets: Creating Circular Markets
Diverting material from landfill without market demand will not achieve resource recovery goals. Ensuring local markets for recovered materials and recycled products is vital. National leadership should:
• Implement genuine sustainable procurement policies – enforceable targets and standards for government procurement of recycled materials, modelled on Victoria’s ecologiQ, will encourage domestic remanufacturing and create green jobs.
• Incentivise recycled products – financial measures, such as GST exemptions on recycled products, and investments in standards that incorporate recycled content will drive market growth.
• Include education campaigns – a national initiative highlighting the benefits of recycled products, waste avoidance will foster public support for circular resource management.
The time to act is now. Let’s hope after an election, and a new term with the same government, this will mean the consultation has been had – and the action to regulate starts now.
There really is no (more) time to waste.
Gayle Sloan, Chief Executive Officer, WMRR