Environment Group Backs Local Councils in Move to Shift Burden of Product Waste to Manufacturers

Wednesday, 25 June 2003 10:00

"Councils and rate-payers across Australia currently subsidise recycling by $100 million per year," said Jane Castle, TEC Campaigner. "This burden is inappropriate as councils have no control over what products are made of or how to best recycle them. Producers should be taking back their products after the consumer has used them because they are best placed to design them for recycling."

Whitegoods have been targeted by the NSW Environment Protection Authority for Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. Producers face government regulations if they fail to develop their own systems to manage their post-consumer products more responsibly.

"Councils and rate-payers should not be held responsible for dealing with this hazardous product waste," said Ms Castle. "Large appliances are made with toxic CFCs, PCBs, mercury and lead and are only partly recycled. When they are landfilled or shredded, these materials can leach into the ecosystem and damage human health."

"No regulations presently exist to guarantee that toxic substances, including ozone depleting CFCs, are treated responsibly prior to landfilling, shredding or disassembly. Many countries in Europe now treat this waste as hazardous and have mandated producer take-back. Without Extended Producer Responsibility in Australia, we are lagging far behind."

"Wasted resources are also an issue, with 550,000 tonnes of steel, 20,000 tonnes of copper and 20,000 tonnes of aluminium set to enter the waste stream via major appliances in the next 5 years."
 

For further information

Contact
:
Jane Castle - Resource Conservation Campaigner
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5680
Email
:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
WWW
:
http://www.tec.org.au/