A recent blog by Cartridges4PlanetArk describes the different ways in which Australia is tackling the problem of plastic waste and improving sustainability.
Plastic waste has been a frequent topic of newspaper headlines and magazine columns in recent months, as the world faces a growing and very serious problem. As the blog by Cartridges4PlanetArk explains, it is estimated that 8 million tonnes of plastic pollute the world’s oceans each year, and with plastic taking over a thousand years to break down – producing harmful microplastics along the way – both marine life and even human beings are facing serious health hazards as a result.
In Australia, “a number of innovative solutions” have sprung up to combat the problem of plastic waste.
These include “complete phase-outs of single-use plastic bags” by both Coles and Woolworths, as well as a range of state bans on plastic bags. Woolworths has also pledged to stop selling plastic straws, while Coles is “promising to replace meat and poultry packaging with recycled and renewable materials”. Meanwhile, both supermarkets are committed to “removing packaging for various fruit and vegetable lines.”
Another way Australia has been tackling the plastic problem is by using recycled plastics to create new, innovative products, such as a Victorian road surface which was made out of 50 tonnes of recycled asphalt, toner from 4,500 used cartridges, glass from roughly 63,000 recycled bottles, and plastic derived from approximately 200, 000 bags and packages. Close the Loop, Downer, RED Group and Hume County Council collaborated on this trial “and set a new benchmark for road transport sustainability.”
Meanwhile stores such as Officeworks offer Australians various ways to recycle their unwanted products, and it will soon be time to sign up for Plastic Free July, which allows the public to make their own pledges to help stop the build-up of unnecessary plastic waste.
