Latest news with #JeffAngel
ABC News
14-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Seven koalas die during NSW national park translocation project
Koala conservation advocates say they are "deeply saddened" that seven koalas have died during relocation to a southern New South Wales national park. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said on Monday 13 koalas were relocated from the Upper Nepean State Conservation Area to South East Forest National Park in April, and seven died within a month. A spokesperson said in a statement that the project was put on hold after three koalas died within two days. They said four koalas died after they were taken into care and the surviving six were returned to their original habitat. "The project team is investigating a potential link to septicaemia and adverse weather," the spokesperson said. Septicaemia, also known as blood poisoning, is a serious bloodstream infection that can lead to sepsis. The translocation project aimed to repopulate a section of the national park where no koalas were remaining, as part of the NSW government's $193.3 million NSW Koala Strategy It angered some conservation groups, while others supported the approach to repopulating the forest. Total Environment NSW manages the Sydney Basin Koala Network, which covers the area the koalas were removed from. Director Jeff Angel said the group was not told that the koalas were moved, or that they had died. "There should have been much better consultation with the people trying to look after the koalas in their own habitat on whether they should have been translocated at all," he said. National Parks Association far south coast branch president and Far South Coast Koala Action Network member David Gallan was on site during the release of one of the koalas and said the process was well prepared. "I feel very sad about the koalas, but I also feel for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service staff, who I know took every precaution and care in investigating and setting up this translocation," he said. The South East Forest National Park was created in the late 1990s, after koalas were discovered in bushland in the region. Mr Gallan said he hoped future translocations were successful to increase dwindling numbers of the species. "In the 1980s, people said there were no koalas there, but they were found to have been living there," he said. "So, it would be wonderful one day to see koalas reinhabiting that part of our landscape." Dr Valentina Mella from the University of Sydney's school of veterinary science said translocation could play a role in conservation. "But it has to be planned properly and it has to be the last resort, not the first avenue for conservation," she said. Dr Mella said the state government should publicly share a report on the koala deaths when it has finished its investigation and should be more transparent about future projects. Greens MP Sue Higginson, whose party has opposed translocation since at least 2022, also said the government needed to be more transparent about translocation projects and deaths, instead of confirming reports months after the fact. "There needs to be a bright light shone on what's happened here, what those control settings were," she said. The ABC has contacted NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe for comment.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
If Australia is serious about recycling more bottles and cans, look to Europe and double the 10c refund, campaigners say
It's a block of text almost ubiquitous on every bottle or can of drink that Australians buy: '10c refund at collection depots in participating state/territory of purchase.' More than 7bn bottles and cans were returned under the schemes last year, but conservationists and the recycling industry have told Guardian Australia that on an individual level, the schemes are underperforming. Some blame the 10c refund rate, and argue it should be doubled. Analysis carried out by organisations in the recycling industry shows that 'return rates' – the percentage of eligible containers returned for recycling – are well below successful schemes in Europe. 'The best word you could use is average,' says Jeff Angel on the performance of Australia's schemes. Angel is a veteran campaigner on plastics and the director of the Boomerang Alliance of 56 environment groups. 'The national return rate is about 65% and that's leaving billions of containers going to landfill or litter,' he says. The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation – a not-for-profit focused on reducing packaging waste and increasing recycling – estimates that in the financial year 2022-23, some 2.7bn cans and bottles eligible for the refund likely ended up in landfill. Last month Tasmania launched its own container deposit scheme, making Australia the first continent to be completely covered by the programs, which are aimed at boosting recycling rates and reducing litter and plastics leaking into the environment. In Europe, the best performing schemes in countries such as Finland, Lithuania and Slovakia have return rates above 90%, with Germany's at 98%, analysis from recycling services company Tomra says. But what they all have in common, Angel says, are higher deposit amounts of between 17 and 43 cents. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as a free newsletter Angel, alongside recycling and waste management industry groups, is preparing to launch a campaign targeting politicians to get the deposit rate in Australia doubled to 20c. 'The argument should not be if, but when,' he says. 'It's obvious to us that policymakers know that the refund has to increase, but we have a political problem that we have not been able to get states and ministers to move.' He says the campaign would look to 'mobilise' supporters, including local councils and the recycling and waste management industry. South Australia's scheme started in 1977, followed by the Northern Territory in 2012. Since then, all other states and territories have launched their own schemes, most recently Victoria's CDS Vic scheme in 2023 and Tasmania's Recycle Rewards program launched last month. The deposit paid on the containers – and what can be recouped if they're returned – has sat at 10c since South Australia doubled its deposit from 5c to 10c in 2008. Allowing for inflation, 10c in 2008 is worth about 15c today. Chris Gingell is the vice-president of public affairs for the Pacific region at Tomra, a Norway-based company that provides reverse vending machines and collection services in most state and territory schemes. 'It's a deposit [the consumer] has paid and by not returning it, they're forfeiting that 10c. But it's obvious – 10c is fast becoming less and less of an incentive for people to return the containers,' he says. 'There's only so much that you can do to raise return rates without that financial incentive. It needs to be doubled, at least. It is the number one thing we could change that would immediately see higher return rates.' No two schemes are organised in the same way, but generally they are paid for by the beverage industry. In 2021, state environment ministers agreed to harmonise elements of the scheme – such as labelling, deposit fees and the containers that are eligible (Queensland is the only scheme to accept wine and spirit bottles) – by the end of this year. Gingell says in Queensland and Western Australia, the schemes are not meeting their 85% legislated target for returned containers. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion In Queensland, a parliamentary inquiry began earlier this year into its scheme, which launched in 2018. Submissions to the inquiry show a tug-of-war between beverage industry interests who are reluctant to advocate for a higher deposit, and conservationists, recyclers, waste managers and community groups – many of which benefit from the schemes – who want to see the deposit doubled. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners told the inquiry that its 'strong view' was that raising the deposit rate would 'bring pain to consumers'. 'From a public policy perspective, it is not equitable to charge consumers more for the opportunity to participate in a recycling program which was set up for their social and environmental benefit,' the company wrote. 'Ultimately, they and the beverage industry fund the deposit and an increase would necessarily translate into a more expensive shopping basket and higher costs of doing business.' Instead, the submission said, an emphasis should be on 'making it as convenient as possible for every Queenslander to participate, whether they live in a regional, remote or metropolitan location'. Angel rejects the claim that raising the deposit would hurt consumers. He says raising the deposit would result in more cash going to community groups and charities that run their own collections. 'It doesn't impact on the cost of living because the people who want the refund can get it.' Gingell says if containers are returned, then there is no cost to the consumer. 'Some people are actually using the scheme to supplement their existing incomes,' he says. Other steps are also being advocated to get return rates up, such as more places for people to return items. Tomra said in its submission that Australian schemes have between 11,000 and 15,000 people per collection point, compared to Malta that has 1,628 people for every point, with a deposit rate of 17c and a return rate of 80%. Suzanne Toumbourou, the chief executive of the Australian Council of Recycling, says the container deposit schemes were an efficient way for recyclers to get 'high quality feedstock' for recycling, including turning plastic bottles into materials to make more plastic bottles in Australia. She says lower return rates meant the industry was missing out on 'high value, well sorted material' like plastic and aluminium. 'Why would you not try to maximise the schemes you have?' she says. 'A higher deposit rate does correlate with a higher return rate. But that's not to say it's the only thing – there's also convenience, and the marketing that schemes do.' The Guardian asked the federal environment minister, Murray Watt, if the government supported raising the deposit rate to 20c. That question wasn't answered, but a federal government spokesperson said the government supported state and territory 'harmonisation' of schemes 'to increase resource recovery and make it easier for Australian businesses to comply'. The statement said: 'States and territories are currently working together to simplify the application system for businesses to participate in the schemes, improve public uptake of the program and container returns, and ensure the schemes are as aligned as possible to drive recovery and recycling rates.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Jetstar passenger request raises questions about popular menu items: 'Do better'
On a Thursday afternoon Jetstar flight, just minutes after meals were eaten, an attendant pushing a trolley asked passengers to separate their rubbish. 'Jetstar aims to recycle as much as possible,' the employee said. In Australia, it's a legal requirement passengers follow directions from flight crews, so everyone dutifully decoupled their beer bottles, Pringles packets, noodle boxes and forks. The attendant placed each item into separate plastic bags, but how many items were actually recycled remains a mystery. Most of us have been sorting our rubbish to help the planet for decades, but airlines have only recently started in-flight recycling of waste generated by the menu items they sell. Sustainability experts have welcomed the change, but say airlines must be completely transparent about their recycling efforts. Professor Lisa Given, an expert in innovation at RMIT, advocates for improvements in corporate social responsibility. She believes airlines have an added obligation to keep customers informed about waste processing because they assume responsibility for its processing by collecting it. 'Consumers need transparency… We want to see exactly what the airlines are doing on their side, and recycling is a big part of that,' she told Yahoo News. Jeff Angel, founder of waste-reduction non-profit Total Environment Centre, agrees, noting environment-conscious travellers are concerned about what happens to their rubbish. 'There's a very strong responsibility on the airlines to come clean on exactly what they're doing with recycling, and do better,' he said. 'If companies want to avoid concerns about greenwashing, they need to be rigorously transparent.' On international flights, it's often a biosecurity requirement that airlines hand over their waste to authorities, but domestically they have control over the rubbish they generate. Jetstar's onboard recycling program for domestic flights began in June 2023, and since then, it's 'collected' an impressive 135 tonnes, of which 60 tonnes was in the 2024 fiscal year. "While we're proud of their efforts, we know there's more work to do to enhance the program," its head of cabin crew Andrew Sinclair told Yahoo in a statement. 'We're continuing to work on improving our waste reduction and recycling initiatives, including sourcing in-flight products that use recyclable materials where possible, as well as making changes to meal packaging.' Virgin Australia is yet to begin in-flight recycling outside of Western Australia, but is in the process of changing waste providers to expand the practice to the east coast. "We recognise that we have a way to go but are actively progressing our key initiatives," a Virgin spokesperson said. Qantas's sustainability efforts are harder to understand. Yahoo sent several questions to the airline nine days ago, but it has yet to deliver a response. According to the airline's 2024 sustainability report, it had in-flight recycling covering 85 per cent of its networks, and collected 165 tonnes of commingled recycling. Twenty-five per cent of its onshore recoverable waste was collected for recycling or reuse. Given would like to see airlines engage more about how they're becoming more sustainable, but she notes they need to have facts and figures to share. 'We're a captive audience when we're on a plane, there's an opportunity during the messages about putting on our seatbelts for takeoff and landing. There are a lot of communication mechanisms for airlines to tell their stories, but the critical thing is the story needs to be there in the first place,' she said. 'If their recycling story is a good one, I'm sure that they would want to put that in front of their consumer base," she added. Sustainability is not just about recycling. Another important factor is how items like packaging, in-flight menus, and even garbage bags are produced in the first place. In particular, many customers want to be assured the wood and paper used on board are not sourced from forests where endangered species live. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is an assurance that the trees are harvested responsibly. Virgin's menus are FSC-certified and have an anti-bacterial covering that makes them more resilient, reducing wastage by up to 30 per cent. Its boarding passes, bag tags, and sick bags are also certified. Because personal information is printed on boarding passes, Virgin leaves it up to customers to recycle them independently. Bag tags can also go in the yellow bin, but only if the eyelet and string are removed. Sick bags are more of a problem because they're coated in plastic to prevent them from leaking. Other items used on Virgin flights, including tray liners, cart seals, napkins and water bottles, are made from 100 per cent recycled materials. We were unable to determine whether Qantas or Jetstar use ethically sourced paper. However, one notable Qantas achievement is that it began progressively switching from plastic cutlery to FSC-approved wooden alternatives in 2001. When it comes to plastic bags, all of those used in toilets are made from 100 per cent recycled plastic. The airline claims it hasn't been able to find a recycled product strong enough for its catering bags, but this is currently under review. Jetstar and Qantas did not provide any information on this subject to Yahoo. In France, short-haul flights have been banned to push travellers onto trains, which are more environmentally friendly. Fast trains are already the preferred option for domestic travel in Japan and China, and there are promises of similar services being developed in Australia, which if delivered could put pressure on airlines to lift their game. All three airlines have bold ambitions to have zero landfill, excluding quarantine waste, with Qantas and Jetstar committing to 2030 and Virgin 2032. While this is commendable, many consumers are sceptical when companies make announcements that won't be achieved until well into the future. For instance, Toohey's announced it would phase out single-use plastic by the end of 2025, but that proved 'expensive' and the beer company said it needed more time. Coca-Cola also walked backwards on its plastic reduction commitments. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Labor commits to national packaging rules, as Planet Ark collapses
Nationally, Australia has committed to 70 per cent of plastic packaging being recycled by next year. The most recent figures suggest we are less than halfway there. The packaging and consumer goods industry has abandoned its long-held antipathy to government regulation, and has been calling for a mandatory scheme to ensure national consistency and that the costs are fairly shared. In February, the federal Environment Department published the results of a government consultation that showed a clear majority of respondents supported Commonwealth regulation of packaging. In August last year, co-regulator APCO announced plans to slug businesses hundreds of millions of dollars by 2027 to reduce packaging. Planet Ark's financial statements to the charity regulator are more than a year overdue. The 2022 report, the most recent available, listed revenue of $3.08 million and expenses of $3.79 million. Goods and services, such as corporate sponsorships, partnerships and consulting accounted for more than 85 per cent of income. The organisation is involved in a number of voluntary product stewardship schemes, including Batteries 4 Planet Ark, Cartridges 4 Planet Ark and Mobile Muster. It was awarded $940,000 from the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund under the former Coalition government to set up PODcycle to recycle aluminium and plastic coffee pods, but so far it has a pilot program in only five retailers and two cafes in NSW and Victoria. Recycling industry insiders, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said many corporations were delaying investing in new schemes while awaiting details from the federal government and APCO. Jeff Angel, director of the Boomerang Alliance, said Planet Ark was too close to industry. 'What they did by creating those schemes, and they would get money from industry for that … is they would give credibility or legitimacy to those weak schemes,' Angel said. 'Voluntary schemes always fail to make a significant impact, so it was on the verge of greenwashing because industry used it to oppose much stronger regulatory schemes.' Angel said the emerging support for regulation in the packaging industry was a shift in approach, given it took 13 years of advocacy to get container deposit schemes up and running. When asked what gap it would leave if Planet Ark closed its doors, Angel said: 'Not much'. Loading However, Louise Hyland, chief executive of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, said Planet Ark was a 'leading environmental organisation' that had helped educate Australians and promote recycling, and she hoped the restructure would allow it to survive. A partnership meant that Planet Ark promoted Mobile Muster, but the program was run independently and would continue regardless, she said. Dee, a co-founder of Planet Ark who was part of the organisation from 1992 to 2007, severed ties in 2012 over the organisation's partnership with the timber industry. He said he had spoken to administrators and set up a meeting for next week to understand the financial problems and whether he could be involved in restructuring. Loading 'How do we bring Planet Ark back to what it used to be ... it really drove the agenda on a whole range of environmental topics and created real change,' Dee said. Dee agreed it needed to be mandatory for manufacturers to fund recycling. 'We're not getting results that warrant a continuation of the voluntary approach,' he said. 'It's not working.'
The Age
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Labor commits to national packaging rules, as Planet Ark collapses
Nationally, Australia has committed to 70 per cent of plastic packaging being recycled by next year. The most recent figures suggest we are less than halfway there. The packaging and consumer goods industry has abandoned its long-held antipathy to government regulation, and has been calling for a mandatory scheme to ensure national consistency and that the costs are fairly shared. In February, the federal Environment Department published the results of a government consultation that showed a clear majority of respondents supported Commonwealth regulation of packaging. In August last year, co-regulator APCO announced plans to slug businesses hundreds of millions of dollars by 2027 to reduce packaging. Planet Ark's financial statements to the charity regulator are more than a year overdue. The 2022 report, the most recent available, listed revenue of $3.08 million and expenses of $3.79 million. Goods and services, such as corporate sponsorships, partnerships and consulting accounted for more than 85 per cent of income. The organisation is involved in a number of voluntary product stewardship schemes, including Batteries 4 Planet Ark, Cartridges 4 Planet Ark and Mobile Muster. It was awarded $940,000 from the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund under the former Coalition government to set up PODcycle to recycle aluminium and plastic coffee pods, but so far it has a pilot program in only five retailers and two cafes in NSW and Victoria. Recycling industry insiders, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said many corporations were delaying investing in new schemes while awaiting details from the federal government and APCO. Jeff Angel, director of the Boomerang Alliance, said Planet Ark was too close to industry. 'What they did by creating those schemes, and they would get money from industry for that … is they would give credibility or legitimacy to those weak schemes,' Angel said. 'Voluntary schemes always fail to make a significant impact, so it was on the verge of greenwashing because industry used it to oppose much stronger regulatory schemes.' Angel said the emerging support for regulation in the packaging industry was a shift in approach, given it took 13 years of advocacy to get container deposit schemes up and running. When asked what gap it would leave if Planet Ark closed its doors, Angel said: 'Not much'. Loading However, Louise Hyland, chief executive of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, said Planet Ark was a 'leading environmental organisation' that had helped educate Australians and promote recycling, and she hoped the restructure would allow it to survive. A partnership meant that Planet Ark promoted Mobile Muster, but the program was run independently and would continue regardless, she said. Dee, a co-founder of Planet Ark who was part of the organisation from 1992 to 2007, severed ties in 2012 over the organisation's partnership with the timber industry. He said he had spoken to administrators and set up a meeting for next week to understand the financial problems and whether he could be involved in restructuring. Loading 'How do we bring Planet Ark back to what it used to be ... it really drove the agenda on a whole range of environmental topics and created real change,' Dee said. Dee agreed it needed to be mandatory for manufacturers to fund recycling. 'We're not getting results that warrant a continuation of the voluntary approach,' he said. 'It's not working.'
