The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) says the Federal Government must be part of the solution for the nation’s looming waste and recycling crisis.
In a statement, ALGA President, Linda Scott said working with the Commonwealth, Councils could reduce the 20 million tonnes of rubbish sent to Australian landfills each year while creating new jobs across the nation.
She said Australia faced a looming waste and recycling crisis without “immediate and sustained investment from all three tiers of government”.
“We are running out of accessible landfills, and waste and recycling costs for all Australians continue to rise,” President Scott said.
“By mid-2024, when Australia’s waste export ban comes into full effect, 645,000 additional tonnes of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres will need to be processed and recycled locally every year.
“We must continue our transition to a circular economy by finding new opportunities to re-use our rubbish and turn it into valuable resources and products.”
The ALGA is calling on the next Federal Government to provide a $100 million per year fund that would support Councils to deliver new circular waste innovation projects in local communities.
“This would create almost 800 new jobs and add $136 million per year to Australia’s GDP,” said President Scott.
She said regional and remote councils needed additional support and guidance to unlock the circular economy locally.
“Rural and remote councils face additional waste and recycling challenges due to the spread of local properties as well as the long distances to sorting and processing facilities.”
“Many of these rural and remote councils have low ratepayer bases and can’t afford additional transport costs.”
President Scott said Councils were also seeking support from the Federal Government to implement a standardised bin collection service across the country, as agreed to by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.
“Harmonising bin collection services will be costly, and the burden shouldn’t fall on the affected communities alone.”
“More support will be required from other tiers of government to make sure that waste collection charges don’t rise due to councils providing more bins,” she said.