Page 1740 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 June 2022
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invested in and worked to reduce our electricity emissions to net zero, we have helped initiatives like keep cups to get off the ground, and we have continued to support much loved and effective facilities such as Green Shed.
Keep cups are a popular initiative across all of Canberra, from their initial beginnings in the Gungahlin town centre, in my electorate, and have been adopted by many cafes in the territory. You can frequently see people using the green keep cups in different town centres.
Another example of the way that the government can and is reducing waste is the use of recycled material in the resurfacing and maintenance of roads across the ACT. These materials can vary from old car tyres to printer toner powder, recycled road surface, recycled road base, recycled concrete, and fly ash from power generation interstate. Additionally, the Container Deposit Scheme introduced during the last term of government has been very successful in keeping recyclable drink containers out of landfill, waterways and gutters.
I am always impressed with the ACT government’s initiative to be better, do better and look after our environment. I commend my colleagues’ continued support in exploring other ways that we can reduce our waste going to landfill. The motion that I have presented today is another example of the ACT leading the way and showing the other states and territories how it is done.
The motion circulated in my name today calls on the ACT government to further examine the scope of these waste reduction initiatives through the draft circular economy plan by including textiles in the plan. Currently, there is no specific plan at a state or federal level to deal with textiles in this way.
I have spoken several times in this place about the circular economy. The circular economy turns to the avoidance and re-use of items considered waste or excess rather than just recycling them. This provides not only a positive environmental impact but also opportunities for economic development and growth in new industries.
The three key principles of a circular economy are to design out waste pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. These principles may seem like obvious ways to reduce waste. However, we know that our current business-as-usual model will not allow us to achieve these objectives. That is why it is imperative that governments and our communities look for new opportunities to build a circular economy.
As an example of this, the European Union are taking a particularly focused view of this mission and outcomes. In March this year, they presented a package of the European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU. The goal is to do this while supporting circular business models as part of the green transition.
As part of this announcement, the European Commission noted that European consumption of textiles has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It is also the third highest area of
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