<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/18/australia-polystyrene-packaging-ban-phase-out-details-not-viable>
"A nationwide promise to phase out expanded polystyrene from consumer packaging
such as of white goods and electronics is more than a year behind schedule,
with the packaging industry saying it was never a workable proposal.
In March 2021 the Morrison government announced expanded polystyrene used to
package and protect a wide range of consumer products would be phased out by
the middle of last year.
But the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (Apco), a not-for-profit
group responsible for delivering national targets for recycling and packaging,
and the expanded polystyrene industry have told the Guardian there is “no
viable alternative” to the material.
The failed phase-out comes as the Albanese government is pushing ahead with
plans to regulate standards for packaging by 2025 to increase the use of
recycled materials and the amount of packaging that is recycled.
One peak industry group representing the waste management and recovery industry
said the country needed a fresh start to managing and regulating waste and
recycling.
In a statement to the
Guardian, Apco said it had worked with industry to “set
out a roadmap” for the phase-out of expanded polystyrene (EPS).
“EPS is a problematic material, yet complete phase-out, while preferable, was
not possible,” the statement said.
“At the moment, there is no viable alternative to EPS available in Australia
for businesses with heavy products (heavier than 45kg) like white goods, nor is
there a solution for precision instruments, for example.”
EPS was still “entering the environment as a litter stream” and was “causing
contamination”, Apco said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
