The Australian Industry Group has welcomed today’s announcement by the State Government that it will be providing funding to local municipal councils to support recycling within the State.
The Victorian Head of Ai Group, Tim Piper, described the announcement as a positive one for business and the community.
“The Government’s announcement is a good initial reaction to the developing waste crisis. With the States and Commonwealth talking about banning exports of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres, a capable and efficient local recycling industry and sustainable markets for recovered materials are essential. In order to get investment into recycling, there needs to be certainty of contracts and of markets and today’s announcement addresses some of those issues,” Mr Piper said.
“The community needs to be confident that their efforts to separate plastics, newspaper etc are worth while and that the products will not go to landfill once they have made the effort. This is not the case today.
“The Australian Industry Group has for some time been calling on the State Government to provide funds to educate consumers as to how best to recycle. This new funding, which we hope will be ongoing, will help keep the community abreast of the best form of recycling,” Mr Piper said.
Mr Piper said there are many companies considering whether to develop a recycling business in Victoria and he encouraged the Government to assist companies in developing their plans.
