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The loss of up to 50 shipping containers now polluting the NSW east coast should be treated as a hazardous pollution event with consequent large fines to help with cleanup, Total Environment Centre and the Boomerang Alliance said today.

In this time of COVID-19, Sydneysiders are flocking to our green spaces for exercise and mental relaxation.  It can be numbing staying indoors and certainly, is not a healthy lifestyle. Young parents are pushing prams; older couples are strolling;  there’s lots of dog walking; teenagers chat as they stride; cyclists discovering bike paths; informal games with the kids; solo walkers plugged into ipods. 

Cigarette butts are unsightly and worse they contain plastic which can pollute our waterways and ocean.  Part of the solution is good bins in public spaces.  How do the various types perform?  A series of cigarette butt bin information sheets have been developed by an independent reviewer.* They should be used as a general guide only and you should consider how each type of equipment is suitable to your local area and community. This information is current on 1 March 2020.  * David Coleman, Asterisk One

New data on the operation of the 10cent container refund scheme (CRS) in Qld points the way to improving the convenience for households and access to their refunds.

A survey of refund points under Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme (CRS) operated by scheme coordinator CoEX, has found serious problems with community access that will inhibit convenience and recycling rates, in years to come.

In the face of accelerating climate change impacts – in particular the frequency and intensity of severe weather events – local energy (or distributed energy resources, DER) can play a significant role in increasing individual household, local community and systemwide resilience. This paper represents an early attempt to recognise this potential role. 

TEC believes the controversial development of Gilead by Lendlease for housing in western Sydney has breached a number of key policies and should be curtailed. Clearing works have just begun. The policies involve fundamental provisions for biocertification, retention of tree canopy and conservation of koalas. We hear a lot about better quality development – but can government actually implement it? 

Sue Salmon, an esteemed campaigner who worked for the Australian Conservation Foundation and in the Commonwealth Parliament, has returned to her parent's farm and is now witness to the destruction being wrought by the NSW government’s land clearing laws. She is fighting to save them and has local supporters.

I’m usually a patient person but the faffing around with the waste crisis is becoming hard to bear. Eighteen months ago when the long promised China ban on our kerbside recyclables came into effect due to contamination, state and federal governments convened urgent taskforces of stakeholders and a wide representation of departments.

The Australian reported today that some retailers have blamed plastic bag bans for a loss of sales, imperilling the economy.  What’s worse the Commonwealth Treasury gave credence to the reports by putting it into an official submission to the Treasurer.

New governments have been elected in NSW and federally - creating new challenges - and in our experience, there are always opportunities. TEC has been working to protect the environment for 47 years – and we will continue the fight! What's on the agenda?

It’s not a choice between jobs and the environment, but how to transition in a way that manages inevitable dislocation and also prevents ongoing, damaging and serious environmental impacts on present and future generations. This is the challenge for the new federal and NSW ministers for the environment and industry.