Along with other members of the Boomerang Alliance, Clean Up Australia is calling for the strengthening of the National Packaging Covenant, a self-regulatory agreement between industries in the packaging chain and all spheres of government.
Clean Up is also campaigning for the introduction of Container Deposit Legislation - a simple program of placing a deposit on a bottle, can or other
container that is refunded when the container is returned, thereby incentivising consumers to do the right thing.
While Clean Up welcomed the recent announcement from the WA Government that it plans to introduce CDL, VIC and the ACT governments have rejected the concept, preferring to rely on their current recycling programs. The NSW and NT Governments have agreed to CDL in principle but as yet no action has been taken to effect its introduction.
We are encouraged by the 2002 review undertaken by the Institute for Sustainable Futures through the NSW University of Technology, which found that both the community and local government support the introduction of CDL. This review suggests that CDL could help reduce the $100 million Councils spend to subsidise kerbside recycling and alleviate landfill issues.
Click here to learn more about CDL and the National Packaging Covenant
The facts Of the Top Ten Rubbish items collected through Clean Up Australia Day 2004 nearly 20% is beverage containers - showing why action needs to be taken on packaging:
o glass alcoholic beverage bottles (5.2%)
o metal/aluminium alcoholic beverage cans (2.9%)
o plastic water and soft drink bottles (3.9%)
o plastic PET bottles (2.4%) and
o metal/aluminium drink cans (2.5%)
o fruit juice bottle (1.3%)
o glass soft drink bottles (1.3%)
Contact the Boomerang Alliance
Website: http://www.boomerangalliance.org/
Telephone: 02 8221 8836
Facsimile: 02 9299 4411
Email: admin@boomerangalliance.org