THE PROBLEM
Did you know? On average, a person could use 130 kg of plastic per year however, only 12% of that gets recycled? The rest of the recyclable materials are still unused and continuously buried in the landfill. Although the amount of waste generated has increased from 2015 to 2016, the recovery rates have still not changed.
Source: Envisage Works, 2018
For the longest time, as Australians, we have been neglecting our recyclable plastics by allowing waste companies to bury our valuable recycling in already overflowing landfills! Yet, instead of satisfying our national target of 30% recycled materials in food packing; by using our abundant supply of valuable reusable plastic, our own Aussie retailers and growers choose to import low grade, cheaply made plastic from overseas! Even despite the fact that a majority of our plastic products/packing are made from PET (PETE) plastic which is 100% recyclable!
Overseas companies have already made it clear that they won't take our plastic waste, so our only hope is to foster our own recycling industry to combat this waste crisis and making an impact. The severity of our current recycling crisis has been quietly swept away and buried under landfill! Even the average Aussie consumer is either unaware of how their recycling is processed or where exactly most plastic packaging with a recycling label even comes from or even what the numbered labels mean!
As Australians, we have the power to use these local materials for higher quality, more ethical and healthier products; to reduce the environmental strain landfill plastics have on our country! It's time to say NO to imported plastics and start consuming ethically, our countries beautiful environment is depending on us!
Remade In Australia is a local, independent initiative that promotes peaceful and creative campaigns to educate Aussies on our current waste crisis; in particular: plastic overfilling landfills. We aspire to further promote "closing the loop" and nurturing a sustainable resource industry for the future of Australia.
Our movement strives to engage Australian retailers and fresh fruit growers to package their products in Australian made and sourced plastic containers and packaging; rather than buy cheaply made foreign plastics.
This will mean we will reuse our valuable plastic waste (think reduce, reuse, recycle) instead of dumping completely usable plastics in landfills.
We want to fight this nationwide landfill crisis before it's too late.