11 September 2024
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:54): I also rise to speak on this committee report. Like the Hon. Tung Ngo, I want to acknowledge the work of my colleagues on the committee. In particular, I want to commend the leadership of the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, who moved to establish this committee. The honourable member moved to establish this committee because of the failure of some of our big corporations to deal with this matter, and so it was very useful and informative from my perspective. I also acknowledge the work of the other members on the committee, the Hon. Tung Ngo, the Hon. Justin Hanson and the Hon. Michelle Lensink.
I will make some brief remarks. As other members have noted, soft plastics are the fastest growing plastic packaging category and are almost always single use. According to research by the Minderoo Foundation, Australians generate more single-use plastic waste per capita than any other country in the world, about 60 kilograms a year. I find that staggering. According to the government's National Plastics Plan, Australia goes through 70 billion pieces of soft plastics each year which translates to almost 3,000 pieces of plastic per person.
The collapse of REDcycle in November 2022 was a shock for many South Australians, who had been diligently separating their soft plastics to return to their local supermarket for collection. The abrupt halt to the scheme left many South Australians bitterly disappointed. One of the elements that did disappoint me, in terms of the evidence that we heard from some of the supermarkets, was that they were still advertising things as being recyclable when that was not the case. It is frustrating that some of these large corporations and big food retailers are not taking responsibility for ensuring that there is appropriate packaging.
Soft plastics contribute significantly to landfill waste in Australia making up a large portion of the plastic waste generated in the country. They also considerably impact ocean pollution, as was noted by the Hon. Tung Ngo, as they can be easily transported by wind and water, ending up in waterways and eventually reaching the ocean. Moreover, the production and disposal of soft plastics generates greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.
The effects of soft plastic waste on wildlife and natural ecosystems are devastating, resulting in decreased biodiversity, destruction of habitats and interference with natural processes. Minimising these effects and safeguarding our environment necessitates appropriate waste management and recycling. Fortunately, South Australians will again be able to recycle their soft plastics thanks to a partnership between the state and federal governments. We welcome that news. It happened whilst the committee was in train.
Recycling Plastics Australia has received a $20 million federal grant to set up advanced recycling technology at its Kilburn centre, which now allows soft plastics to be recycled. I understand this will divert more than 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics from South Australian landfills every year. That is a good outcome. Soft plastics, including shopping bags, chip packets and food wrappers, will be cleaned and purified to create feedstock for new plastic packaging.
Like the Hon. Tung Ngo, I was interested to hear about the issue regarding paper bags. I agree that there is work for big supermarket chains to do there to make that more accessible for consumers. One thing worth noting about this committee was that we reached a cross-party consensus on the recommendations. There are some really sensible suggestions for the state government to take up, and I look forward to their response.
One of the issues I am particularly passionate about, and it is included in the recommendations, is looking at this issue of government procurement. I will particularly draw the chamber's attention to that recommendation because I think this is one of those areas where government can really show some leadership.
One of the recommendations is that Green Industries SA partner with Procurement Services SA to update the procurement governance policy, the Green procurement guideline and other relevant procurement policies or guidelines to require South Australian government agencies to procure goods and services that, where applicable, incorporate no less than 50 per cent recycled soft plastics or replacements with a compostable alternative, and eliminate soft plastic waste in the delivery of goods and services by 2026.
It is also recommended that Green Industries SA partner with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to set targets for the use of recycled soft plastics in construction projects to drive demand, that Green Industries SA partner with the Local Government Association to set targets for the use of recycled soft plastics in council projects, and that Green Industries SA partner with the Local Government Association to do terminative changes required to the Local Government Act to require councils to incorporate no less than 50 per cent recycled soft plastics.
The reason for this is that a lot of these soft plastics can be converted into materials that we can use. I have read before, and I am aware of projects on the city council, of involving the use of plastics for bitumen. There are examples of this in other jurisdictions. I understand that it can be used for making things like park benches. I have heard of it being used in construction materials. That is a really good outcome.
There is an industry here in South Australia that could be supported. One way to do that is for the government itself to set very clear procurement requirements, and for local councils in particular, so that when they are undertaking roadworks and the like they can have regard to that. I thank the Hon. Heidi Girolamo for proposing this, and all other committee members for their work and the work of the secretariat in compiling a very thorough report.