The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) has called for a dedicated minister for resource recovery and the circular economy to drive a whole-of-government approach to circular economy outcomes, including product stewardship, sustainable procurement, resource recovery, recycling and remanufacturing.
Through the release of Gearing up for a circular economy: actions to unleash a booming Australian recycling sector, ACOR outlines a federal policy platform aimed at “delivering jobs, advancing resource efficiency and unleashing innovation and productivity around the country”.
“A circular economy is spurred by innovation, technology, employment and manufacturing, whilst delivering significant environmental outcomes. It makes perfect sense to create a new ministerial appointment that can work across all these relevant portfolios,” said ACOR CEO Suzanne Toumbourou.
ACOR outlines four key measures to support circular outcomes and a booming recycling sector.
- Strong end markets for recycled material, supported by targets and incentives
- National alignment between environmental policies and circular economy principles
- Producer responsibility for end-of-life of products brought into the Australian market
- Consumers who know how to ‘recycle right’
“A major priority is harnessing the Federal Government’s coordinating capacity to improve regulatory alignment for resource recovery, whilst prioritising procurement of recycled materials through targets and incentives.”
“With unprecedented government and industry investment and overwhelming public support for resource recovery and recycling, now is the time to unleash the full potential of a circular economy through these policy measures,” said Toumbourou.
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