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Environment | September 18, 2019

Labor rubbish at managing recycling

The interim report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s waste crisis has delivered a damning verdict on Labor’s failure to manage the waste and recycling industry.

It is now a month since the last recycling company was shutdown by the Environment Protection Agency, with more than 4,000 tonnes of recyclables currently going to landfill each week.

It is likely that more than 40,000 tonnes be sent to landfill as a result of the latest crisis.

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said the report shines a light on Labor’s failure to manage a safe and effective waste and recycling system and yet again it is the environment and the community that pays the price.

“Households and businesses in Lowan have been left wondering where their recycling is ending up with a large number of councils, including some from western Victoria, being left without a contractor to manage their recycling,” Ms Kealy said.

“The Andrews Labor Government is holding over $500 million of taxpayers’ money in bin taxes that it continues to collect to fix this exact problem.

“Labor’s embattled Environment Minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, confirmed in Question Time in the last week of August that not one cent of this funding will go towards removing the massive stockpiles of recycling sitting in warehouses across Melbourne.

“Daniel Andrews’ latest band-aid measures are not solving Labor’s recycling crisis and it’s time for Labor to stop dithering and start fixing.

“The situation is a total debacle and it’s going from bad to worse and it is obvious that the Environment Minister is not up to the job of fixing this mess.

“This is a massive issue and it is imperative that Labor acts immediately to protect our environment and the health of safety of all Victorians.”