In Canberra, Australia’s packaging choices have been placed under a spotlight with the inaugural Unpackit Awards, which aim to expose both the worst excesses and the most promising alternatives in the nation’s struggle with plastic pollution. The awards are a joint initiative of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the Plastic Free Foundation and WWF-Australia, and were announced in Canberra by independent MPs Sophie Scamps, Kate Chaney and Allegra Spender.
Organisers said hundreds of public nominations were received, with a panel of experts narrowing the field based on environmental impact. The focus, they said, is on the thousands of tonnes of unnecessary packaging entering the waste stream each year, contributing to pollution that threatens oceans, wildlife and human health, while also highlighting practical reuse and redesign solutions already operating across the country.
The inaugural award for Australia’s Worst Packaging went to a plastic-and-metal hybrid “can” used by cafés for iced drinks, described by campaigners as a disposable franken-container that is difficult to recycle and excluded from container refund schemes. It was criticised for encouraging single-use consumption even in dine-in settings. Dishonourable mentions included individually wrapped Mentos mints, plastic netting around avocados sold by Coles, Woolworths and Aldi, and plastic wrapping on Kmart dumbbell sets.
Best packaging award went to The Udder Way refillable milk keg system, which has replaced an estimated 4.5 million single-use plastic milk bottles since 2021. The 18-litre kegs operate like beer kegs, allowing milk to be dispensed in cafés and stores before containers are returned for cleaning, refilling and reuse. Honourable mentions included Bearhug’s reusable pallet wrap system, replacing large volumes of plastic cling wrap over time, and Cercle’s reusable café cup system, which has helped eliminate more than 1.5 million disposable cups.
Representatives from WWF-Australia, the Plastic Free Foundation and the Australian Marine Conservation Society said the awards highlight both solutions and policy gaps. They cited strong public concern, with polling showing nine in ten Australians support reducing reliance on single-use plastics, and called for national packaging laws to scale reuse systems and curb wasteful design.