Australia unable to meet plastic reduction targets, only 16% recycled in 2020: Reports

Australia is not able to meet its own targets for plastic reduction, states a new report by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). According to the report, just 16% of the plastic was recovered in 2020 even though over 50% of packaging was found to be easily recyclable. The report concluded by stating that plastic recycling has been flattening since a voluntary plan was implemented in the country in 2017.

As per a report by The Guardian, the Australian Marine Conservation society's Plastics Campaign Manager Shane Cucow said that the APCO report should be a “sharp wake-up call” for the Australian government as well as the business sector. Reportedly, the island nation has set the target for 70% of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted by 2025 and irrelevant single-use plastic packaging to be phased out entirely.

Australia will only be able to recycle 36% by 2025

However, the latest report on the situation has revealed that with the current recycling upgrades in effect, Australia will be able to recycle only 36% of plastics every year by 2025. Out of 1.1 million tonnes of plastic packaging placed on the market in 2020, only 179,000 tonnes were recovered. Notably, products with recycled plastic content also remain low and account for just 3% of plastic packaging on the market.

Cucow reportedly said that even though many domestic companies are touting sustainability, Australia was still “asleep at the wheel” while responding to the escalating issue of plastic waste. He was quoted by the media outlet as saying, “We’ve been encouraged by moves to ban key single-use plastics, and investments to build new recycling infrastructure, but it is still too little too slow when it comes to plastic packaging.”

Cucow added, “One thing is abundantly clear: if we keep on the way we are, we’ll never make it past the halfway point as the tidal wave of plastic continues to fill up our oceans and our landfills.” According to him, voluntary targets were not working and more incentives, as well as penalties, were required to encourage the firms to step up recycling uptake, especially among soft plastics.

Despite soft plastic being one of the most lethal consumer plastic for ocean wildlife, around just 4% of them were being recycled in Australia. Cucow, as per the report, said, “There’s simply not enough demand for recycled plastic because virgin plastic is cheaper and easier to obtain...It’s time for the Australian government to level the playing field with a levy on virgin plastic and mandated targets for recycled content..”

(IMAGE: Unsplash/Representative)