Living on the Northern Beaches brings great advantages, but also great responsibility. It is our responsibility to keep our environment clear of waste and plastics.
There is a lot to celebrate this National Recycling Week with the Australian Government making 2020 the year that Australia took unprecedented responsibility for its own waste.
The Morrison Government is driving a $1 billion in investment in our Australia’s waste and recycling industries, creating more than 10,000 jobs and diverting over 10 million tonnes of waste away from landfill.
“Recycling is firmly on the national agenda this year thanks to the Morrison Government’s export ban on waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres,” Mr Falinski said, “And every week, more and more of the products on our supermarket shelves are displaying the Australian Government endorsed Australasian Recycling Label to make it easier for consumer to get recycling right.
Shortly, the landmark Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 is expected to pass through Parliament, providing a national framework for recycling and waste and taking advantage of the once in a generation opportunity to improve our waste management and recycling practices presented by the export ban.
The waste export ban is the first of its kind in the world and provides a new blueprint for how countries around the globe can deal with their waste.
“This will not only change the way Australia manages its own waste but also change the way we think about waste, seeing it as a resource to be continually remanufactured into new products, rather than a problem to be just sent to landfill,” Mr Falinski said.
Northern Beaches MP, Jason Falinski said the 25th National Recycling Week is an important reminder to all the residents across the Northern Beaches to play their part in reducing waste to landfill and keeping it out of our unique environment.
“The benefits to our environment will be significant as we reduce litter, especially plastics, that pollute our oceans and parks, so we protect our precious wildlife and marine life.
“An important thing that every member of our community can easily do this week is to check their local council website to make sure that they are up to date on the latest recycling information and tips and tricks.
In 2016-17 Australians generated about 69 million tonnes of waste. All governments have committed to reducing waste by 285 kilograms per person by 2030, and local Federal MP, Jason Falinski is encouraging everyone on the Beaches to consider what they can do to re-use products, cut down on single-use plastics and take advantage of various product stewardship schemes to dispose of items like batteries, e-waste, used paint tins and mattresses.
“Australia’s recycling rate is currently 60 per cent, so there is much more to be done if we want to hit our 2030 target of recycling 80% of all our waste by 2030.”
“We know that reinvigorating our recycling capacity is not just great for our local environment—it’s also an opportunity to create jobs – with nine jobs created for every 10,000 tonnes of material recycled, compared to just three jobs when material is sent to landfill,” Mr Falinski said.
For more information about National Recycling Week and how you can get involved with events near you, head to Planet Ark’s website at:
https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/nationalrecyclingweek/
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