In recent years, the question of what to do with our household waste has become more pressing. In 2018, China stopped accepting many types of recyclable plastic waste from Australia. Four years later, Australia’s main soft plastics recycling scheme, REDcycle, collapsed, leaving behind big stockpiles. Food scraps or non-recyclable plastics in recycling bins slash the value of these waste streams.
This year, Australia’s second most populous state, Victoria, is trying to improve matters with a proposed waste system using four bins across all 79 council areas and its alpine resorts. The state government is seeking your feedback on these changes and how they would be implemented. Our research suggests there’s much to like in these changes, but there are also big sticking points.
