Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison has announced plans to ban the export of plastic, paper, glass and tyre waste. The move has been wholeheartedly supported by state and territory governments across Australia.
Australia Steps-up to the Mark with Exports Ban
There has been a realisation, according to Morrison, that exporting waste is not a solution, that it often ends up unprocessed in the oceans, and that is not good enough. It was time to act.
What this means for the Australian waste sector remains to be seen as the country already has issues with logistics and end uses for the waste it already processes. However. Legislation is the main driver for recycling and sustainability, and with no outlets through exports of waste, Australia will have to up its game in recycling and waste management.
This is an odd case of who blinked first. Were the destination markets going to block the imports or were the source markets going to block the exports? Australia has taken the first step. Environmentalists around the world will be looking at what follows and be asking their own governments why they can’t do the same.