How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter? 
RMF gets additional $60m for advanced plastic recycling – Australia
Posted on April 5, 2022 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations, Plastic Waste News
The federal government has announced $60 million in additional funding for the Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF), specifically targeting the advanced recycling of plastics. The RMF was set up to change how Australia manages its waste, as the country started to regulate the export of plastic waste from 2021.
“This new funding stream, dedicated to helping solve the problem of hard-to-recycle plastic waste, demonstrates our determination to invest in Australian industry, to growing the recycling sector and to creating a stronger economy and stronger future for Australia,” said Prime Minster Scott Morrison.
The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) expressed encouragement for the additional funding, which brings the total contribution from the government to $250 million.
“According to projections from the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), Australia is currently on track to recycle just 36% of plastic packaging by 2025 at best,” said Shane Cucow, AMCS plastics expert.
“The fact is we can never recycle all the plastic being created. Not while fresh virgin plastic is being pumped out in ever-increasing volumes, by companies who don’t take responsibility for the pollution problem they have created.
“As long as Australia allows companies to increase their plastic use and avoid using recycled content, our oceans will pay the price.
“It’s time for the government to set mandatory targets to cut plastic use in Australia, with requirements for companies to use recycled content in their plastic packaging.”
Governments are good on talk, but the action is already showing goals are going to be not reached.
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