Environment ministers discuss soft plastic recycling pathway

The pathway to soft plastic recycling was one of the topics under discussion at a meeting of Australia’s environment ministers in Sydney today (21 July 2024), chaired by the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek.

The environment ministers discussed the progress on the Commonwealth’s new National Circular Economy Framework, due to be finalised by December 2024. The Framework is designed to drive a faster transition to a circular economy and ensure efficient use of key resources and materials in Australia. Ministers noted particular opportunities exist in the manufacturing, food and agriculture, resources and critical minerals sectors and the built environment.

Ministers agreed to encourage the development of stronger end markets for recycled products. A priority list of materials or products will be identified for consideration at the next EMM. Victoria will lead this work.

Ministers discussed progress on the new national packaging regulatory scheme. Ministers noted that advice for industry on anticipated design requirements, including recyclability, recycled content requirements and designing out chemicals from packaging placed on the market, will be released at the end of 2024 to guide early efforts by industry and help to close the loop by generating demand for recycled soft plastics.

Ministers considered the growing challenge of soft plastics and industry’s slow progress to re-establish in-store collection since the collapse of the REDcycle scheme. Ministers confirmed their commitment to a circular economy for plastics established in Australia. States and territories noted progress on a roadmap to staged improvement in the harmonisation of kerbside collection to report back to environment ministers by the end of 2024.

This roadmap will address a pathway and criteria to soft plastics collection that considers national design standards currently under development; different collection approaches across metropolitan, regional and remote locations; and national processing capacity. The roadmap may incorporate different timelines in different jurisdictions.

Ministers noted that removing PFAS in packaging is an urgent priority for all jurisdictions and will be dealt with through design standards in consultation with the Heads of EPA Australia and New Zealand (HEPA) with a report back to the next EMM.

Food and grocery manufacturers body welcomes progress

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) welcomed ministers’ comments, which will support ongoing work on an industry-led scheme around the nationwide collection of soft plastics for recycling back into food-grade packaging. The scheme, which works closely with the Soft Plastic Taskforce, aims to collect soft plastics in metropolitan, regional and remote locations and accelerates a domestic circular economy.

“Food and grocery manufacturers and retailers have contributed resources in time and money to get an industry-led solution to soft plastic recycling on the national agenda,” said the CEO of the AFGC, Tanya Barden. “The announcement is an important step in driving the soft plastic circular economy and the work we have been doing on a product stewardship scheme.”

AFGC looks forward to continued collaboration to find a clear and consistent solution to packaging through upcoming consultation.

Image credit: iStock.com/Lemon_tm