It's no secret we're drowning in plastic, with Australia’s national recycling rate stuck at a dismal 13%, the current approach simply isn’t cutting it. Plastic pollution continues to overwhelm our environment, landfills, and waterways, threatening wildlife and communities alike.

We urgently need real, systemic solutions that include mandated reduction targets, to turn the tide on this crisis.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) offers a powerful way forward. By making manufacturers and brands responsible for the entire lifecycle of their plastic products and packaging, including post-consumer waste — EPR creates strong incentives for designing out waste, increasing recyclability, and funding effective collection and processing systems.

But recycling alone isn’t enough.

Reuse models provide another crucial piece of the puzzle, shifting us away from single-use culture entirely. From refill stations and reusable packaging to deposit return schemes, reuse systems keep plastics and other materials circulating in closed loops, dramatically reducing waste, resource consumption, and emissions.

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Together, EPR and reuse can drive the transformational change needed to build a truly circular economy for plastics, one where waste is designed out and valuable materials stay in use, not landfill.

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