WMAA and ACOR call for recycling action plan

The Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) and the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) have come together to call on all ministers to work with industry in the development and implementation of an Australian Circular Economy & Recycling Action Plan.

According to the organisations, the Action Plan is needed to build on respective state governments’ shorter-term actions to date to maintain the community’s confidence in recycling services under the current unprecedented circumstances brought about by China’s National Sword legislation — a policy to reduce the amount of contaminated materials entering the country.

Now, WMAA and ACOR are asking Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and his state colleagues to work with industry to pivot towards this new strategic direction to decouple the Australian recycling and resource recovery industry from global markets.

“A $150 million national Action Plan would enable the ‘three Is’ that are needed to reboot recycling and kick-start the circular economy: investment in infrastructure and new markets; improvement of recyclate material quality and recycling contracts; and innovation in positive purchasing of recycled content products by governments,” said ACOR CEO Peter Shmigel.

“It is time to transform the recycling and resource recovery industry so it can help transform our economy to a more competitive, sustainable and circular model that makes the best use of as many resources, including human resources, as possible in Australia.”

According to WMAA CEO Gayle Sloan, the industry currently sits at “an important crossroads” and “a concerted effort at this critical point in time is required by all”. WMAA and ACOR have thus developed a list of priority actions that are required to address this issue in the short term, and in the longer term to achieve the structural changes required.

“WMAA and ACOR have a united industry position on this important topic, and are committed to working with government to ensure the success of the Australian Circular Economy & Recycling Action Plan,” said Sloan.

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