The Morrison Government introduced landmark legislation this week that marks a new era in Australia’s management of waste, with over half a million tonnes of rubbish being shipped overseas every year.
The Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020 will lead to a major overhaul of Australia’s waste and recycling capacity, creating enormous new commercial opportunities and jobs. The Bill will improve the existing framework for product stewardship by incentivising businesses to take responsibility for the processes used in the production of products as well as consideration of what happens at the end of the product’s use. The legislation will ban the export of end-of-life tyres as well as waste plastic, paper and glass and has been agreed to by both levels of government earlier this year.
MTAQ Group Chief Executive Dr Brett Dale said, “This is an excellent opportunity to remodel Australia’s waste management, protect our environment as well as create economic opportunities for a circular economy with recycling at its core.
“Earlier this year MTA Queensland made the decision to invest in an Australian company called Green Distillation Technologies Corporation (GDTC), who use a unique process called destructive distillation to break down old tyres into three high quality products - oil, carbon and steel. The tyre does not have to be shredded before this process is undertaken and is free of emissions.
“And, recently we supported Waste Motive, a consortium of industry stakeholders committed to the management of plastic waste generated by the collision and repair sector. The sector has had very little regulation on how automotive waste is managed, which often results in plastics from cars being stock piled in backyards, wrecking yards, farmlands, or it is sent to landfill. The business concept is led by Planet Ark who also aim to develop plastic recycling machines.
“MTA Queensland places significant importance on supporting innovative solutions to problems that plague the automotive industry, such as end-of-life tyres and damaged vehicle plastics. Waste management in our sector must be prioritised and we are taking the lead by investing and supporting concepts as a responsible peak body. We have also undertaken to invest in research that will examine the scale and potential of this sector.”