The Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek has added tyres, mattresses and plastics within healthcare products to her product stewardship priority list for 2022-23.
This adds to the initial listing of textiles, first listed in 2021-22, which has resulted in the launch of Seamless this year, a national product stewardship scheme for the fashion industry.
The scheme is expected to be operational by July 2024, with Plibersek warning of government-imposed regulation if not enough progress is made.
According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), the makers and importers of items on the product stewardship priority list must take responsibility for the impacts of their products on the environment across their entire life cycle.
“It goes above and beyond recycling and considers how the development, design, manufacture, import, sale, use and recovery of materials and products can be adjusted to improve environmental outcomes.”
There already exist industry-led initiatives for tyres and mattresses recycling in Australia, but the DCCEEW noted that not enough businesses are voluntarily participating.
Meanwhile, the DCCEEW claim healthcare waste has become “increasingly problematic” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other products already listed include solar panels, electrical and electronic products, oil containers, child car seats, clothing textiles and problematic plastics.
Any items listed on the Minister’s product stewardship priority list mean that if participation doesn’t increase, the government will consider legislation.
“An industry-led stewardship approach is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reduce a product’s impact on the environment and human health,” Plibersek said.
“Around half of tyre importers do not contribute financially to the current Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme so more needs to be done.
“About 22,000 tonnes of mattresses still go into landfill every year, while another 15,000 tonnes of material is recovered from mattresses but is still dumped because there is currently no market for it.
“We can also recycle and recover much more waste, with about 85 per cent of healthcare waste non-toxic and similar to domestic waste.
“The priority list makes our intentions clear – if industry does not act, the Government will.”