Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fremantle for his contribution to the discussion on the current state of the recycling industry in Australia and particularly around plastics and soft plastics. As co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Waste and Recycling, I have a particular interest in this policy area which stems from my time as mayor at the George Town Council, where I saw firsthand the challenges and opportunities presented by waste and recycling.

Like the member for Fremantle and I think most Australians, I was deeply disappointed by the collapse of our country's largest soft plastics program, REDCycle, last year after it was revealed that soft plastics collected at local Woolworths and Coles across the country were being stockpiled in warehouses. Although I understand that the issues around soft plastics recycling are complex, like many Australians I had a genuine belief that the soft plastics I was dropping off were being recycled, and it made me feel as though I was playing a small part in addressing the problem.

The demise of REDCycle has led to more than 5,700 tonnes of soft plastics being sent to landfill, which is estimated to be enough stockpile to fill about 3½ Olympic-sized swimming pools. Unlike hard plastics, which we can dispose of in our regular council recycling bins to be sent to a recycling facility, soft plastics are incredibly difficult to recycle and once they hit landfill can take up to a thousand years to degrade, which is a very difficult fact to swallow. It is a stark reminder that while recycling is a positive thing we should seek to reduce our use first.

There is movement in this area, and I do welcome that the government is continuing to invest in the Recycling Modernisation Fund, which the coalition first launched in 2020. Under the first round of funding a partnership between the Tasmanian Liberal government and the coalition delivered more than $9½ million in funding, allocated to improve our state's waste processing facilities. One recipient in my electorate, Timberlink, received $5.8 million to make a wood-plastic composite decking product to meet the huge demand in the ever-growing home upgrade market. Timberlink is using milk bottles, collected from across the state, mixed with sawmill waste to form the core of their products, resulting in the use of an extra 13,000 tonnes of high-density polyethylene plastic a year. A recent round, focusing on soft plastics, closed for applications last month and I'm looking forward to seeing the projects that will be supported by the fund and the positive impact that this will have on the state's efforts to address the challenges of recycling soft plastics.

I'd also like to commend the government for the new container refund scheme known as Recycle Rewards, which is due to get off the ground later this year. Under the scheme, people will receive a 10c refund for returning eligible drink containers to designated refund points around the state, with opportunities to donate their refund to the charity or community group of their choice. This is a great initiative that will reduce litter and increase recycling as a whole and also support development of the circular economy.

It's not just local governments or big companies who are playing a role in our state to reduce waste. We know that more can be done to encourage us as consumers to think about how we can reduce our own use and reliance on everyday plastics. One young student in my electorate, Maddie Hassell, has come up with an innovative way to tackle a common soft plastics issue. Last year Scotch Oakburn student Maddie, now in year 9, launched her reusable dry-cleaning environment bag, known as DEBS, after noticing how much plastic went to waste in dry-cleaning. She said, 'I'm always looking out for the environment, and thinking about creative ways we can do things to improve our community has been with me for a long time.'

We know that effectively addressing waste on a large scale will require a combined effort of the right infrastructure, by bringing the biggest contributors of plastic waste to rethink their packaging and by encouraging the everyday consumer to reduce their reliance on plastics, which will be more successful with viable alternatives. I note the government steps in tackling these issues, particularly through the establishment of a national task force to reduce waste and pollution, improve product design and transition to a more circular economy. This is a positive step which will build on the pathway paved by the coalition's own 2020 landmark legislation, the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill, which included $190 million for the Recycling Modernisation Fund and put waste on the national agenda for the first time.

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