Councils have welcomed federal action on plastic. 

The Federal Government this week issued its National Plastics Plan 2021 (PDF), which includes commitments to

  • Phase out problematic and unnecessary plastics such as expanded polystyrene (EPS)

  • Work with industry to deliver national packaging targets

  • Invest in new plastics product stewardship schemes

  • Strengthen Commonwealth procurement rules to kickstart demand and an initial “pull-through” for recycled materials

Australia’s 537 local councils manage around 26 percent of Australian waste annually, either directly or through contractual arrangements. The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has hailed the plan as an important milestone. 

Each year, local governments collect around 9.7 million tonnes of waste from kerbside bin services, sort it at material recovery facilities (MRFs), and dispatch what can be recycled to reprocessing facilities. The cost to councils is an estimated $3.5 billion annually.

“Better waste management represents a billion-dollar economic opportunity for Australia,” ALGA President Linda Scott said. 

“We broadly welcome this plan as an opportunity for the Commonwealth to better engage with and enable local government to make further progress on managing waste sustainably and responsibly,” Cr Scott said. 

However, the Federal Government also announced its intention to “work with the states and territories to harmonise kerbside recycling collection”. 

This has raised major concerns for councils.

“Creating the same bins for every area of Australia without significant additional funding for local governments is not a practical way to achieve increased recycling,” Cr Scott said

“A one-size-fits-all approach assumes Australian homes are the same size and ignores the reality that Materials Recovery Facilities vary enormously in capacity and capability across Australia.

“Bins that are designed for the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area may not be the best fit for the Town of Port Hedland,” she said.