Government and Business Unite to Reduce Packaging Waste

The federal government and major companies including Woolworths, Coca-Cola Amatil and Nestlé are supporting a call for 100 per cent of Australia’s packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets were unveiled last Tuesday at an event convened by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO).

Environment Minister Melissa Price commended APCO, Woolworths and the initial working group of major companies including Coca-Cola Amatil, Nestlé and Unilever, for tackling Australia’s waste challenges and supporting the targets.

At the event, Price launched the Australasian Recycling Label to help consumers better understand how to recycle packaging.

With more than 200 recycling labels currently used in Australian packaging, the new evidence-based system is designed to reduce confusion about recycling.

“The Australasian Recycling Label provides people with easy to understand recycling information when they need it most, in those few seconds when they are deciding what bin the package goes in,” Price said.

As well as making 100 per cent of Australia’s packaging reusable, the targets also call for 70 per cent of Australia’s plastic packaging to be recycled or composted, and for unnecessary single-use plastic packaging to be phased out by 2025.

Woolworths’ general manager of quality and sustainability Alex Holt said the collaboration between business and government was vital.

“We’re really pleased to see such a wide range of industry players come together in support of such a worthy goal. Moving towards a circular economy won’t be easy, but we have the right mix of organisations on board to help make it a reality,” Holt said.

This comes amid a government review of Australia’s National Waste Policy, to examine issues within the waste industry, including the recycling of packaging.