Page 3836 - Week 13 - Thursday, 18 October 1990
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As far as the ACT is concerned, I certainly believe that we need to look at biodegradable plastic shopping bags but I think we have to act in concert with our near neighbours. My understanding is that there has been a move away from those items by the industry itself anyway. In fact, I notice that Woolworths operates a collection service for plastic shopping bags and I would recommend that members make full use of that. I think it is one way that the industry can play its part in the recycling initiative.
Mrs Grassby also referred to container legislation. It is interesting, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, that in fact only one State has adopted container legislation. There are some very good arguments, I would suggest, for implementing container deposit legislation. I think that the cost to the community is probably one of the reasons why the other States have not taken it up. I think that there are two issues that we have to look at: the fact that the ACT is an island - we are much smaller than South Australia, for example - and the fact that there are some costs, or minuses, if you like, associated with this. They relate to having to store the containers and having to move the containers. It is probably more appropriate, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, that we consider the recycling operations for glass that are currently going on and that in fact provide a better opportunity. Also, of course, there are problems associated with the need to clean and wash bottles that have been returned as a result of the deposit legislation. That also has some potential for cost to the environment. I know there are developments being made in relation to certain cleansing agents that are not quite as problematical, if you like, for the environment. I think that is one of the other problems we have to look at in relation to container legislation.
I understand, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, that my colleague Mr Collaery will be discussing and describing some of the steps that we are taking to improve recycling. I have alluded to them already, particularly in relation to glass. However, let me say that recycling is very important, due to the opportunity it offers us to conserve our resources instead of wastefully discarding them.
There is another issue which is perhaps even more important because of the tremendous potential which it has to reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill sites. In the ACT, as we know, the cost of burying waste within our landfill sites is still very small. It is only $12 a tonne, whereas in other States and other cities it is getting up around the $30 to $40 mark and that, of course, encourages the use of alternative operations. Here in the ACT we have competing problems in relation to the lower cost, at the moment anyway, that we have for getting rid of our waste in our landfill sites. But, even so, it is still a wasteful expense on the part of the Government and I am referring, in this case, to composting.
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