Australia’s amount of plastic waste surges as recycling rates fail to improve | Plastics

Plastal recycling rates in Australia have placed as the amount of waste continues to grow, reveals the latest government data.

The Australians produced 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, compared to 3 m of tonnes the previous year, according to plastic data and Australian destinies published on Friday.

About 39% of the country’s plastic waste came from the packaging.

The data, collected since 2000, have shown that the total quantity of plastic waste had doubled since 2005 (compared to 1.57 m of tonnes), but recycling rates had barely offset despite investments in increased capacity.

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In 2023-24, the plastics recovery rate was 14.1% against 14.7% in 2005, the majority of materials being still sent to the discharge.

“We cannot recycle our way,” said Gayle Sloan, Director General of Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia. “This is a challenge in supply chain, not just a waste challenge.

“If you don’t design well and you don’t buy, we can’t solve this problem.”

Despite government promises since 2023, Sloan said that Australia has still not changed in compulsory design or recycled content standards.

According to data, of 446,000 tonnes of plastic diverted from the discharge in 2023-24, approximately two thirds were recycled in Australia and a third (145,000 t) exported for treatment abroad.

About 23,000 tonnes of plastic recovered were sent to energy recovery (where waste has been burned as fuel substitute or used to generate heat or electricity) in 2023-24, a figure that could increase in the coming years, because several states have continued energy waste projects.

Plastic consumption also increased.

Australians used 4 million tonnes of plastic products and packaging in 2023-24 – equivalent to 146 kg per person – against 3.9 million tonnes the previous year.

The largest source was due to the packaging of products, responsible for around 1 million tonnes of new plastic each year. Other large plastic users included the built environment (18%), electricity (9%) and clothing (8%).

Almost all plastics used in Australia have been imported in the form of products and packaging, or as new plastic resins.

On Monday, the Minister of the Environment, Murray Watt, reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to tackle plastic waste, after countries do not reach an agreement on a treaty to end plastic pollution in Geneva.

“By increasing recycling capacities with our state and territory partners thanks to investments in new recycling infrastructure, we make real progress in recovery materials that would otherwise go to discharge,” said Watt.

“In addition to that, we continue to work with states and territories to eliminate problematic single -use plastics and transform the packaging regulations of Australia.”

The new data are involved as a study of the University of NSW examined the extent of microplastic pollution in Australia – in indoor air, road dust and fresh and navy water ecosystems.

Although additional research is necessary, the study revealed that microplastics represented a significant threat to human health, biodiversity and ecosystems, and recommended stages to limit plastic pollution.

The report recommended laws to minimize the quantity of plastics in products, the prohibition of the use of soft plastics in restaurants and home kitchens, microbead restrictions in personal care, cosmetics and cleaning products, as well as the introduction of a extended liability program.