$356 Million to tackle plastics and waste

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than $356 million will be invested over five years
to implement the nation leading plans to protect the environment and promote
recycling.

“We want NSW to be a leader when it comes to reducing waste, maximising recycling
and protecting our environment, but we want to do it in a way that drives job creation
and innovation," Ms Berejiklian said.

“The community has high expectations and we need to make sure we put in place the
best plans for the future while also giving businesses and councils enough time to
adjust to the phase-outs and find sustainable alternatives.”

Environment Minister Matt Kean said we must reduce the plastics ending up in the
environment because we are on track to see more plastic in the ocean than fish by
2050.

“The single-use items we are phasing-out will stop an estimated 2.7 billion items of
plastic litter from ending up in our environment and waterways over the next 20 years,”
Mr Kean said.

“We can’t keep sending our scraps to languish in landfill when there are huge
opportunities to turn our trash into treasure.

“Under our plans, every household will have access to a separate bin for their food
and organic waste for the first time in NSW.

“This will not only deliver on our commitment to achieve zero emissions from organics
in landfill by 2030, but will also grow our economy by extracting more resources like
biogas from our waste.

“In addition, we will lead by example and help stimulate new markets for sustainable
products by adopting an ‘if not, why not’ approach to the use of recycled materials in
government procurement.”

Small businesses will be supported to transition to new products before the phaseouts
come into effect. Exemptions will also be available for members of the community
who rely on particular single-use plastics for disability or health needs.

A statewide education campaign will be rolled out to provide households with clear
information on how to get onboard with the new waste programs, and learn how to
properly dispose of their food and organic waste.

The government will also continue to work closely with councils, with $206 million in
funding available to support local government to deliver these ambitious plans,
including $65 million to support the rollout of green bins.

The NSW Government will consult on and introduce the necessary legislation and
regulations to deliver on the plans to Parliament in the coming months.

For more information on the Waste Strategy, visit www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/wsms
For more information on the Plastics Action Plan www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/pap