New government initiative – Plastic ban and more
Plastic Ban in NSW
On the 13th of June, 2021, the NSW government announced a new initiative to slash household waste, specifically relating to plastic waste, unnecessary landfill, and food waste.
✓ Single use plastic bags to be banned by the end of 2021
✓ Plastic straws and cutlery, cosmetic microbeads, Styrofoam tableware, and plastic cotton buds to be phased out within 12 months
✓ Heavyweight plastic bags, plastic encased produce, and various other consumer plastics to be reviewed within 3 years
✓ $206 million to be allocated to local councils to aid with the reduction of waste, and reform of their recycling programs
✓ $356 million dollar scheme to provide all NSW households with a separate FOGO bin
✓ Prepare for a greener future, and adopt OPEK today
FOGO Rollout in NSW
Food organics and Garden organics (FOGO) is a waste collection program which aims to combat the excessive waste finding its way into our landfill. Currently present in both Penrith and Randwick councils, FOGO introduces a new bin for household waste, collecting all food and organic waste (similar to a green bin, but food inclusive).
The NSW government’s recent announcement outlines the widespread adaptation of FOGO within households. Soon, all NSW residents will possess a new FOGO bin, which cannot accept any plastic.
Australian Government Future Plans
The Australian Government has already taken active steps towards reducing our impact on the environment by introducing a goal to ban plastic by 2030. With this goal in mind, Australia aims to reduce the consumption of traditional plastic to reduce the impact on the environment. The national plastics plan aims to:
✓ Recycle or compost 70% of plastic packaging
✓ Ensure that 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable
✓ Include 50% average recycled content within packaging (20% for plastic packaging)
✓ Phase out the problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics packaging
Furthermore, the Australian Government has initiated a strategy to reduce food waste by implementing the National Food Waste Strategy, which is an effort towards halving Australia’s food waste by 2030. The Minister for the Environment launched Stop Food Waste Australia in December 2020 which is a key tool in assisting the with the government goal to achieve their 2030 goal. With its action, the Australian government recognises plastics as a threat that must be taken seriously to eliminate its catastrophic impact on the environment.
References:
https://7news.com.au/weather/environment/nsw-to-ban-some-plastics-next-year-c-3097120
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