The proverbial green plastic sample bag

Seen across hundreds of mine sites around Australia and other mining domains around the world.

Tough, and by design, almost indestructible, but really only needed to be kept for a relatively short time compared to the length of time they will be a blight on the environment.

Even when they finally “break down” they turn into microplastics that can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose.

Anyone who has driven around the larger mining areas will attest to seeing piles of these bags scattered across the countryside as well bags that have been blown into trees and littering other areas of the environment.

Well times are changing...

and this change will be driven by environmentally conscious mining companies and their need to satisfy increasingly environmentally focused shareholders.

It will also be driven by Government legislation and standards as voters also push for a greater environmental focus.

The ANZPAC Plastics Pact, which formally launch to the public in late 2020.

This will work with businesses, governments and NGOs from across the plastics value chain in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations to develop a common vision of the circular economy for plastics.

With just 16% of plastic packaging currently being recycled in Australia, ANZPAC will provide the significant intervention required to meet Australia’s national plastic packaging target that 70% of all plastic packaging will be recycled or composted by 2025.

Aligned with the other initiatives of the Plastics Pact network, the ANZPAC Plastics Pact will work towards a set of ambitious, time-bound targets in the following areas:

• Eliminate unnecessary and problematic single-use plastic packaging through redesign and innovation
• Ensure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable
• Increase the reuse, collection, and recycling of plastic packaging
• Increase recycled content in plastic packaging.

In 2018, all levels of Australian government, including representatives from Local, State and Territory and Federal governments, came together with industry.

They launched Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, as shown below; providing a clear mandate to deliver a new sustainable pathway for packaging in Australia.