Parliamentary Committees

Select Committee on Recycling of Soft Plastics and other Recyclable Material

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. H.M. Girolamo:

That the report of the select committee be noted.

(Continued from 28 August 2024.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:44): As a member of the Select Committee on Recycling of Soft Plastics and Other Recyclable Material, I would like to endorse the final report our Presiding Member, the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, tabled in this place recently. I thank the Hon. Heidi Girolamo for moving a motion that resulted in the formation of this committee, a committee that was established to explore the impacts of human use and reliance on soft plastics and the effects this reliance on plastics has had, and continues to have, on our environment, lifestyles and the choices we make.

As the honourable member outlined when tabling the final report, the committee focused considerable time on the findings outlined in the report of the National Plastics Plan 2021. One extremely alarming fact this plan presented was that in Australia 70 billion pieces of soft plastics are used annually every year in Australia. Australia has a plan to reduce plastic waste and increase recycling rates. In South Australia the phasing out of additional plastic products commenced on 1 September 2024.

As we move towards finding alternative products to replace plastics, there are some critical reasons for providing alternative choices to the soft plastic shopping bags we have been using for decades. I do want to stress that providing alternative options is absolutely essential.

During a committee hearing, representatives from Woolworths and Coles reported that they were providing customers with the option to purchase paper bags for 25¢ as an alternative to a plastic bag. During this presentation I raised my concern about a couple of issues, the first being that originally, a few years ago, these paper bags were offered at a cost of 15¢ to encourage people to use paper bags. Now, the cost of these bags has increased to 25¢ each, which is an increase of 60 per cent.

When I studied economics at high school, I learned that a product becomes cheaper when you produce more of it; it is called economy of scale. The fact is that a lot of people are purchasing these paper bags today compared with a few years ago when they were first introduced, therefore the price and cost of these should reduce, not increase. With many of us struggling to afford the rising cost of everyday living, paying 60 per cent more for a paper bag when we do a bit of shopping adds further stress for people on tight budgets.

The other issue that I raised was about the paper bags being sold in our supermarkets tearing easily—often immediately when anything is placed inside them. That fact has been experienced by many people I have spoken to, who have confirmed shopping bags tearing easily at the shops. When I presented this problem to Woolies and Coles, little interest was shown.

I also mentioned the concerns about how easily the paper shopping bags tear when the independent supermarkets gave evidence to the committee inquiry. The independent supermarket industry told us that the paper shopping bags are made in South Australia. On hearing this I hoped the committee would get an answer as to whether a small adjustment could be made to prevent them from ripping so easily, but none of the supermarkets seemed to have an answer to this design fault.

I suggested how the bag could be redesigned with a double fold of paper at the top to reinforce and strengthen the bag. I have used paper bags from other retail outlets, such as Cotton On Kids, Supre and Typo; these bags are strong and have a double fold at the top that helps to reduce tearing.

I feel disappointed that our supermarkets are reluctant to put a bit of effort in to provide paper shopping bags that customers can carry their shopping in without the bag tearing before they get home. With the current focus on recycling we need to provide people with something they can reuse. However, due to the limited weight bearing capacity of the current paper bags supermarkets offer customers, we are actually encouraging people to buy, use and throw out rather than reuse.

Although paper bags may not be as sustainable or eco-friendly as other available options, we do need to offer people steps and short-term options as our society moves towards achieving the outcome of living with a greatly reduced reliance on plastic products. As we know, other strong recycled shopping bag options are the calico bag and those made from hemp or jute. Although more expensive, hemp and jute fibres are naturally eco-friendly and will break down over time.

As was discovered by our select committee, the best way to reduce the use and impact of soft plastic is to decrease our use of it. By drastically cutting back on the amount of plastics society uses it will follow that the challenges of how best to recycle soft plastics and the how and what in the manufacturing of recycled soft plastics will become less daunting.

It has been mentioned that the committee findings outlined in the report of the June 2021 National Plastics Plan steered the path of our focus. Another frightening fact outlined in this paper was that 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic leaks into the marine environment. If we do not continue to make strides to reduce our use of soft plastics then by 2050, which is not very far off, it is estimated that plastic in the oceans will outweigh fish, a terrifying reality for sure.

In closing, I want to stress that in order to reduce our use of soft plastics we must provide accessible recyclable, affordable and durable alternatives. We also need to work together to help all Australian communities improve on their recycling efforts.

A special thankyou to my committee colleagues the Hon. Justin Hanson, the Hon. Michelle Lensink and the Hon. Robert Simms. I appreciate your collaborative approaches and input. Once again, thank you to our Presiding Member, the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, and to our committee secretary, Robyn Schutte, for all her hard work and to the committee's research officer, Ms Mary-Ann Bloomfield. I can only encourage us all to take heed of the importance of what this final report details.

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.

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (17:00): I thank all members involved in the committee: the Hon. Tung Ngo, the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the Hon. Robert Simms and the Hon. Justin Hanson. It was a great collaborative committee. We have come up with excellent recommendations that I really hope the minister takes on board. These recommendations balance our economic viability and are environmentally responsible recommendations, and they will go a long way to being able to support soft plastics recycling being reintroduced in South Australia.

I know we all hope that one day we will have a world of strong paper bags, Mr Ngo. It is really important that this is taken on board by Woolworths, Coles and particularly Aldi. I thought of Mr Ngo the other day when I was at Aldi and my paper bag broke with three bottles of soft drink in it. It is a key issue that needs to be sorted. I hope the minister is able to take on board this feedback from Mr Ngo and from the committee as well. These recommendations are very practical and should be taken on board by both government and the major two players in this country.

I hope all committees continue to be this productive; it has been really invaluable. I have written to the minister personally to encourage that cross-dialogue to make sure we are working together to see these recommendations being implemented. With that, I hope the report is taken on board.

Motion carried.