Project aims to boost Australian plastic recycling

Australia’s leading recyclers, resource recovery companies and brand owners have joined forces to commission an evidence-based analysis demonstrating the urgent need for packaging reform and the benefits of using Australian recycled plastic in packaging.

Led by the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the Advancing Plastics Recycling in Australia (APRA) Project aims to inform Australia’s governments about how to support and strengthen domestic recycling and manufacturing capability.

Central to the project is quantifying the environmental and economic benefits of a strong Australian plastic recycling industry and incentivising the use of domestic recycled content in the federal government’s planned National Packaging Laws.

“Packaging reform is long overdue and the stakes are high,” said Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of ACOR. “Without strong domestic markets for locally recycled plastic, Australia risks repeating Europe’s experience, where falling demand and cheap imports have forced plant closures and left recycling capacity stranded.

“With a ban on the export of plastic waste, and significant investment in recycling infrastructure through the government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund, Australia must now ensure that locally recycled plastics can compete with virgin and cheap imported material.

“The APRA Project will measure the real benefits of using Australian-made recycled plastic in packaging and show how it can be a win for jobs, the environment and the economy overall.”

APCO CEO Chris Foley said building strong, lasting demand for Australian recycled plastic packaging is essential to achieving national packaging targets and circular outcomes for these valuable resources.

“By quantifying the economic and environmental value of Australian plastic recycling, this project can provide the evidence backbone for policy and investment decisions that deliver stronger domestic markets and support much-needed national regulation of packaging.”

Strategic consultancy firm Rennie Advisory has been commissioned to undertake the APRA Project and will deliver the findings later this year. The Project will support government and industry decision-making, including upcoming national packaging reform processes and investment frameworks aimed at reducing plastic waste and enhancing domestic recycling capability.

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