Infrastructure Australia calls for national waste and recycling plan

Developing a national waste management and recycling plan has been named a ‘high priority’ on Infrastructure Australia’s 2020 Infrastructure Priority List.

According to Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive Romilly Madew, the proposed initiative involves a coordinated strategy between all levels of government and the market to identify a program of investment in new waste recovery and reprocessing infrastructure.

“This aims to meet the long-term needs of Australians and to foster innovation and adoption of emerging technologies,” she said.

Challenges identified by Infrastructure Australia include a lack of space for transfer facilities, material recovery facility capacity in remote and regional Australia and under developed domestic reuse markets.

“Resilience was a key theme of our 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit and this focus continues to be reflected in our latest edition of the Infrastructure Priority List,” Ms Madew said.

“Compounding issues of unprecedented infrastructure demand, severe drought and other environmental changes require a focus on our resilience strategies, and a consensus on where to invest now for our nation’s future prosperity.”

Ms Madew also reaffirmed the role the Priority List plays in business case assessment.

“The Priority List has a strong record of driving national investment and has become a key reference point for all levels of government,” she said.

“This year alone we have seven infrastructure projects graduating off the list as they enter the delivery stage.”

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