The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) welcomes the release of Tasmania’s draft Waste Action Plan on the weekend, which proposes the introduction of a statewide waste levy.
The plan, now out for consultation, aims to tackle waste in Tasmania through a more strategic approach and includes a framework to address identified priorities.
“WMRR is pleased that Tasmania finally has a waste and resource recovery strategy and in releasing the plan, the Minister has acknowledged that waste management is a shared responsibility between all levels of government, the private sector, and community,” WMRR CEO, Ms Gayle Sloan, said.
“The Minister should also be congratulated for listening to industry about the importance of a levy as an economic tool for prioritising resource recovery, as well as working with industry and the community to design and set the levy. This is a show of great leadership.”
The draft action plan includes several ambitious targets and follows on the heels of Tasmania’s container refund scheme announcement, one of the key actions in the plan.
“WMRR genuinely looks forward to working with government on both the strategy and the levy as we strongly believe Tasmania has a great opportunity to create resource recovery jobs and a circular economy, given the commitment of the Tasmanian community to the environment,” Ms Sloan said.