50-plus years is a long time to be engaged in the battle to protect the environment that we all depend on and share with an incredible array of animals and plants. That’s how long TEC has been working and we tell our story in our just released and beautifully designed Impact Report.

Environmental groups have called for an urgent rescue plan from land clearing, urban sprawl and roadkills, for the endangered Koala colonies of the Sydney Basin, at a meeting with Judith Hannan MP, President of the Parliamentary Friends of the Koalas.

Our investigation into voluntary battery recycling under the failing battery stewardship scheme, B-cycle, identified many free rider producers evading responsibility for battery waste, and B-cycle participants, more often than not, failing to promote the scheme to their consumers.

Environmental groups, including Total Environment Centre and Boomerang Alliance, issued an alert on the weakening resolve by the Commonwealth government to implement a circular economy, at the hearing of the Environment and Communications Committee Inquiry into waste reduction and recycling policies, today. 

Shocking levels of microplastic pollution have been found in wetlands on the edge of an industrial area in Adelaide, with the source being plastic production factories and catchment runoff. The results are AUSMAPs, a project of Total Environment Centre, largest found so far since starting to sample in the wetlands since 2019. AUSMAP Director, Dr Michelle Blewitt shares, "The pollution has been going on for years, with little action from environment protection authorities and factory owners.  Over 796,000 pieces per square metre, which are long-lasting and accumulating every year." These levels of microplastics pollution are a continuous danger to fish and birdlife in the Barker Wetlands (and adjoining waterways) and contribute to the microplastic load that is being absorbed by the human population.

Today’s announcement by the NSW government of its response to rampant land clearing and dodgy offsets has some welcome elements. However, there is a grave risk that developers and rural landowners will accelerate plans to clear native vegetation before the new laws come into effect.

WA’s much needed ban on e-waste to landfill commenced from Monday this week, but unfortunately, vapes were excluded from that ban.

We are urgently calling on the community to support our campaign to protect the critical habitat and koala corridor at Mallaty Creek. The government plans to fence off Mallaty Creek as part of urban development plans in the Cumberland Plain that we have been fighting for years. This decision threatens the survival of the healthiest koala colony in NSW.  

Today’s meeting of the nation’s Environment Ministers has signalled urgent action will need to be taken by individual states in order to resolve regulation of packaging, especially soft plastics, battery waste and expanding container refund schemes.

Battery fires are an existential threat to our waste and recycling management system. Fire and Rescue Services attended more than 1,000 battery fires across Australia last year, but we understand many more occurred in the waste and recycling sector that Fire and Rescue Services didn’t attend.

With the imminent meeting of Environment Ministers considering how to handle the growing and dangerous problem of battery waste, Total Environment Centre has called for an effective and urgent response that does not embrace failed voluntary approaches.

TEC welcomes the Albanese government’s announcement of a national battery strategy but it must be accompanied by a comprehensive collection and recycling scheme for end of life batteries. "If this strategy rolls out without an effective stewardship scheme in place, we risk serious environmental harm and excessive end of life costs for taxpayers and consumers alike", said Mark Zihrul, TEC Campaigner.