A new report by Boomerang Alliance and its 32 allied groups, documents Queensland as the most littered state in Australia, with litter rates 40% higher than the national average with only 18% of plastic bottles recycled.
The report, ‘Queensland’s Plastic Pollution Crisis, container deposit and other solutions’ examines the sources and rate of litter, micro plastics and impacts on marine life and solutions.
“Discarded containers and plastic packaging represent the bulk of the litter. This is a tremendous waste of resources and is despoiling our beautiful environment,” said Toby Hutcheon of Boomerang Alliance.
“Boomerang Alliance has welcomed the State Government’s decision to investigate a container deposit scheme and bans on plastic packaging. These are positive measures that could reduce litter by 60%. We are urging their quick introduction.”
“The NSW Government is set to introduce a cash for containers scheme in mid-2017 and it would be a welcome achievement if Queensland had the same timetable. We urge the LNP, local government and business to support these measures. They are good for the environment, for wildlife and create a significant stimulus for recycling industries in Queensland and hundreds of new jobs.”
Boomerang Alliance is proposing four key solutions. Harmonise CD scheme and start date with NSW, ban single lightweight plastic bags and other problem plastic packaging, phase out microbeads in personal care products and action by industry and regulators to stop plastic nurdles escaping from factory sites.
Boomerang Alliance is hosting a Marine Pollution and Container Deposits and Plastics Summit for key stakeholders in Brisbane on 24 June.
