Programs
Projects
National Recycling Initiative
The NRI is collaboration between ACOR, the Waste Management Association of Australia and the Total Environment Centre to lobby the Federal Government to give greater prominence to recycling and resource recovery at the national level …
National Waste Policy Implementation
The Federal Government has introduced a National Waste Policy to be rolled out over a number of years. More recently, in includes an Implementation Plan setting out who and how the Policy is to be implemented.
Australian Packaging Covenant
The Australian Packaging Covenant is the latest version of what was previously called the National Packaging Covenant. ACOR is a signatory to the Covenant and a member of the National Packaging Council Industry Association.
Beverage Container Deposit legislation and scheme
The Environment Protection and Heritage Council of Federal, State and Territory Environment Ministers has been considering whether to implement a container deposit system nationally to encourage the recovery of food containers and reduce litter.
Product Stewardship Scheme for TV’s and Computers
A key initiative of the National Waste Policy is the introduction of product stewardship legislation, initially focussing on the collection and recycling of TV’s and computers.
Australian Standard for Recycling of Computers
As part of the National Product Stewardship Scheme for TV’s and computers, the government is proposing to introduce an Interim Industry Standard for the Collection, Transport and Recycling of TV’s and Computers. ACOR has been actively representing electronic product recyclers in the development of this standard.
Flourocycle Product Stewardship Scheme
Under the proposed national product stewardship legislation, voluntary schemes may be set up to enable producers to co-operate in the implementation of a scheme, eventhough not required by government legislation. Flourocycle is a scheme recently commences to co-ordinate the recovery and recycling of mercury containing fluorescent lamps in commerce and industry.
Recycled Materials Guidelines
A key contribution by ACOR to improving the recycling rates is the Recycled Materials Specification Manual published by ACOR to advise manufacturers on what materials should be used in product manufacture to maximise the potential for the product to be recycled at the end of its useful life.
Landfill Levies on Recycling Residuals
Governments around Australia have introduced landfill levies to reflect the true environmental costs of disposing of wastes to landfill and encourage the diversion of wasted resources to facilities that seek to recycle them. Separating out the recyclable materials necessarily involves some by-product of non-recyclable material that needs to be disposed of to landfill. The levy on this disposal acts as a ‘tax’ on recycling which threatens to undermine the recycling effort.
Gas Cylinder Recovery Project
ACOR is working with Sustainability Victoria and the Victorian LPG Association to set up a collection and recovery system that enables the safe reuse and recycling of disposed recreational gas cylinders used in BBQs and caravans.
National Waste Data System
One of the projects under the National Waste Policy is the collection of better information on waste generation and where waste goes to. ACOR is working with the Federal Government to collect more accurate data on levels of recycling and the contribution the industry makes to reducing the burden of waste disposal to landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the recycling of materials with high embodied energy.
National Harmonisation of Environmental Regulation
The EPHC has recently launched a project to indentify which environmental regulatory systems need harmonisation nationally. ACOR has already made submission on this issue.
