01/07/2005 - Federal and
state environment ministers today agreed to
a national packaging recycling rate of 65
per cent by 2010.
The current rate is 48 per cent.
The Australian Government Minister for the
Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell,
who chaired the EPHC meeting in Perth, said
the new target was challenging but realistic.
"Achieving the target will require all
levels of government and industry to work
hard together," Senator Campbell said.
"This includes companies in the packaging
supply chain, waste collectors and recyclers."
The recycling target is the key feature of
the National Packaging Covenant, which the
Council agreed to extend for another five
years.
Brand owners who choose not to join the Covenant
will be required by law to take back and recycle
their packaging.
"This measure will ensure voluntary
action is backed with legislation that sends
a clear message to companies that don't meet
their obligations," Senator Campbell
said.
"A new threshold for small businesses
will also be developed this year so that those
businesses that produce only small amounts
of waste are not affected by the new reporting
requirements."
The Council also agreed to continue its existing
strategy to phase out lightweight plastic
bags by the end of 2008.
Senator Campbell said the use of plastic
bags had been reduced from an annual usage
rate of about six billion bags in 2002 to
around 4.8 billion in 2004.
"This is a very good result, especially
by the major supermarkets which have cut their
usage in the past year by 27 per cent,"
Senator Campbell said.
"Their target this year is to repeat
that effort and come in at an overall 50 per
cent reduction on 2002 levels."
