Australia's Plastic Production: An Environmental Concern

Australia has a significant plastic waste problem. Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person each year, with 67 million tonnes of waste generated in 2017. Of this, 84% is sent to landfill, with only 13% recycled. It's estimated that about 130,000 tonnes of plastic ends up in Australia's waterways and oceans each year.

Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person, each year

In 2018-2019, Australians used 3.4 million tonnes of plastic, with one million tonnes of this being single-use plastic. 84% of plastic is sent to landfill, and only 13% is recycled. This is a shockingly low amount, especially when you consider that plastic is designed to last forever. Australians often use single-use plastic items for only a couple of minutes.

The National Plastics Plan outlines actions and key milestones that Australia is working towards to reduce its plastic problem. Plastic has been a revolutionary material, allowing us to mass-produce lightweight products and packaging cheaply. However, our current 'take, make, dispose' approach is leading to excessive landfill and harming our waterways. It is not sustainable. Australia uses around 70 billion pieces of soft "scrunchable" plastics, including food wrappers, each year.

67 million tonnes of waste was generated in 2017, 37% was recycled

Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person, each year. That's more than 10kg for every single person, every single week. In 2017, Australians generated 67 million tonnes of waste, of which just 37% was recycled, leaving 21.7 million tonnes disposed of in landfill.

It's estimated that about 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in waterways and oceans each year. This is due to littering, products like wet wipes being flushed, and plastic flying away from landfill processing. In addition, Australia uses around 70 billion pieces of soft "scrunchable" plastics, including food wrappers, each year. Of the 3.4 million tonnes of plastics used in 2018-2019, one million tonnes were single-use plastic, and 84% of plastic was sent to landfill, with only 13% recycled.

The National Plastics Plan outlines actions and key milestones to reduce Australia's plastics problem. Plastic has been a revolutionary material, allowing for the cheap mass production of lightweight products and packaging. However, our current "take, make, dispose" approach is leading to excessive landfill and harming our waterways. It is not sustainable.

Only about 2% of Australia's waste is converted to energy, a much lower rate than some European countries. Australian households produce one tonne of plastic waste in just one minute. In one day, Australians produce enough plastic waste to fill an entire beach.

130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in waterways and oceans each year

Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person, each year. That's more than 10kg for every single person, every single week. Of the estimated 67 million tonnes of waste Australians generated in 2017, just 37% was recycled, leaving 21.7% disposed of in landfill. It's estimated about 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in our waterways and oceans each year. This is due to littering, products like wet wipes being flushed, and plastic flying away from landfill processing.

In 2018-2019, Australians used 3.4 million tonnes of plastic. One million tonnes of Australia's annual plastic consumption is single-use plastic. 84% of plastic is sent to landfill and only 13% is recycled. This is a huge problem, as plastic is designed to last forever, yet we're often using single-use plastic items for only a couple of minutes.

Our use of plastic is increasing and across the world will double by 2040. This is not sustainable. Australia uses around 70 billion pieces of soft "scrunchable" plastics, including food wrappers, each year.

The National Plastics Plan outlines actions and key milestones to reduce Australia's plastics problem.

Australia uses around 70 billion pieces of soft “scrunchable” plastics each year

Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person, each year. That's more than 10kg for every single person, every single week. Of the estimated 67 million tonnes of waste Australians generated in 2017, just 37 million was recycled, leaving 21.7 million disposed of in landfill. It's estimated about 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in our waterways and oceans each year.

In 2018-2019, Australians used 3.4 million tonnes of plastic. One million tonnes of Australia’s annual plastic consumption is single-use plastic. 84% of plastic is sent to landfill and only 13% is recycled. Australians produce 1 tonne of plastic waste in just 1 minute.

The National Plastics Plan outlines actions and key milestones to reduce Australia’s plastics problem. Plastic has been a revolutionary material, allowing us to mass-produce lightweight products and packaging cheaply. However, our current ‘take, make, dispose’ approach is leading to excessive landfill and harming our waterways. It is not sustainable.

84% of plastic is sent to landfill and only 13% is recycled

Australians produce 540kg of household waste per person, each year. In 2017, Australians generated 67 million tonnes of waste, of which 37 million tonnes were recycled, leaving 21.7 million tonnes disposed of in landfill. It's estimated that about 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic ends up in waterways and oceans each year.

The National Plastics Plan outlines actions and milestones to reduce Australia's plastic problem. Plastic has been a revolutionary material, allowing us to mass-produce lightweight products and packaging cheaply. However, our current 'take, make, dispose' approach is leading to excessive landfill and harming our waterways. Australia uses around 70 billion pieces of soft, 'scrunchable' plastics, including food wrappers, each year. In 2018-2019, Australians used 3.4 million tonnes of plastics, with one million tonnes of single-use plastic. Shockingly, 84% of plastic is sent to landfill and only 13% is recycled.

This means that the vast majority of plastic waste is not being properly dealt with. Landfill is not a sustainable solution as plastic does not biodegrade and can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and water. Recycling is a better option, but it is a complex and costly process, and many plastics are not currently recyclable.

To address this issue, we need to reduce our plastic consumption, particularly single-use plastics. We should also support the development of biodegradable plastics and improve our recycling infrastructure. Additionally, we can advocate for extended producer responsibility, where manufacturers are responsible for the entire life cycle of their products, including disposal and recycling.

It's important to note that plastic waste is not just an Australian problem. It's a global issue that requires international cooperation and innovative solutions. By working together, we can reduce our reliance on plastic and develop more sustainable alternatives.

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