Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020. This bill will allow Australia to take responsibility for its waste and to establish a national industry framework that bans the export of waste glass, plastic, tyres and paper. The bill will also improve the framework of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 to encourage and regulate best practice in this area.

I'm really proud to be part of a government that's so committed to driving Australia's waste recycling industry forward. The bill will phase out the export of 645,000 tonnes of unprocessed plastic, paper, glass and tyres that are being shipped overseas every year. The legislation will implement a waste and export ban through a licensing and declaration scheme in which waste material can be prohibited from export unless specific conditions are met. These include holding an export licence or making a declaration prior to export.

The legislation also sees key improvements to product stewardship that encourage businesses to take responsibility for the waste that they generate. This will be achieved through better product design and increased recovery, as well as through the reuse of waste materials. This approach ensures that exported waste is safe for human health as well as for the environment. In turn, this creates jobs in the waste management and recycling sector, boosting the local and the national economies. Overall, I'm advised that our waste and recycling strategy will create 10,000 jobs over the next 10 years. The job-creating ability of recycling is immense. For every 10,000 tonnes of waste being sent to landfill around three direct jobs are created, but if we recycle that same waste we can create nine direct jobs.

One of the reasons I rise to speak in support of this legislation is that there are a number of businesses within my local community that are already helping our environment, and creating local jobs in the process. They are a fantastic demonstration of the commitment that our community has to waste-reduction and recycling, and a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the work being done in my local community from a business perspective, as well. I've been out to see a number of these local businesses. Licella and its pilot plant in Somersby have developed a catalytic hydrothermal reactor technology that can chemically recycle post-consumer products into the oil and chemicals they originally came from. This oil is a direct substitute for fossil oil and can be used to make new plastics, chemicals, fuels, waxes and bitumen products. This will reduce the amount of fossil crude that needs to be extracted. iQRenew, a partner of Licella, is a large material-recovery facility where mixed recycling comes to be sorted into various recyclable streams: plastic, paper, glass, aluminium and steel. This Somersby facility alone saves 105,000 cubic metres of landfill, which equates to 20,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases being reduced every year, the equivalent of removing over 4,500 cars from the road a year. Licella's co-founder and CEO, Dr Len Humphreys, believes that this legislation will 'provide the catalyst for us to deploy this world-leading technology in Australia, and it is a great example of Australian innovation tackling one of the world's major issues'. Dr Humphreys also said that plastic pollution is a major global issue. Research shows that almost all plastic produced still exists, most of it in landfill and our natural environment.

The Cat-HTR technology has been developed by Licella in conjunction with the University of Sydney. Licella believes that this legislation could lead to the potential to build 30 to 40 Cat-HTR plants around Australia, creating over a thousand new direct jobs. In my view, this offers great potential and some real hope for the future of our recycling and waste sectors. It really was fantastic to go out and see firsthand this business operating. It is extraordinary. The opportunities are immense, and it's fantastic to see the commitment to waste-reduction and recycling being demonstrated by local businesses such as these in my electorate on the Central Coast.

As Minister Ley has said, through this bill the Morrison government is tackling a national environmental issue that has been buried in landfill or shipped offshore for far too long. These reforms are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remodel waste management and reduce pressure on our environment.

I know that many young people in my electorate of Robertson will be really pleased that this bill encourages environmental stewardship for future generations. Many students on the Central Coast have contacted me to express their passion for this issue, including 10-year-old Sofia who said, 'We need to consider the impact that plastic has on sea life and animals.' Tilly from North Avoca said that she always picks up rubbish after finishing nippers with her brother Angus because they care about keeping their beach clean. My own daughter Molly-Joy is also making sure that she has no waste in her lunch box every day before she heads off to school and recently started a petition among her friends on the importance of recycling as an important initiative to reduce the harm on our environment.

I know that when I go out and I visit local community organisations so many of them demonstrate, in many local ways in their local community, with their membership, different and important ways that they are committed to waste reduction and recycling. It definitely is something that is broadly supported across my community. Of course, everyone in our community can do their bit to assist in moving towards a greener future. The Morrison government is ensuring that we take greater responsibility for our waste whilst also helping our environment and creating jobs. I commend this bill to the House.

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