The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) has welcomed the Queensland Government’s new five-year roadmap for phasing out problematic single-use plastics.
The roadmap, released on Friday, commits to a series of actions including bans on plastic microbeads, polystyrene packing peanuts and plastic-stemmed cotton buds by September 2023.
This follows the state’s 2018 ban on single-use lightweight shopping bags, as well as further bans in 2021 targeting plastic drinking straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, unenclosed bowls, and expanded polystyrene food containers.
The roadmap also details plans to identify further opportunities for action, and support industry and the community in the transition to sustainable alternatives. Proposed areas to address include items such as disposable coffee cups, disposable produce bags, bread bag tags, plastic wrapping on magazines, and other takeaway containers.
Suzanne Toumbourou, ACOR Chief Executive Officer, said the roadmap aligned with circular economy outcomes.
“We are particularly excited about the commitment to recyclability and recycled content requirements – an approach that should be adopted by all Australian governments,” she said.
“An emphasis on procuring Australian-made recycled content will be critical to ensuring strong end markets and unleashing innovation for the materials we recycle in Australia.
“We know there is overwhelming public support for resource recovery, recycling and local remanufacturing, and Queensland can help to unleash the potential of our recycling sector through this roadmap.”
ACOR is Australia’s peak body for resource recovery, recycling, and remanufacturing. The council is committed to supporting proactive stewardship initiatives and improved recycling practice in pursuit of circular economy outcomes.
For more information, visit: www.acor.org.au
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