Early last week a claim was made in the media by a green group representative Jeff Angel from the Total Environment Centre, that a National Packaging Covenant (Covenant) confidential report exaggerated recycling figures.
Angel aslo claimed the Covenant had no hope of reaching a 65 per cent consumer packaging recycle rate by 2010 suggesting this proved Container Deposit Legislation (CDL) was the way to go in Australia.
National Packaging Covenant, CEO, Mr Ed Cordner, who returned from overseas late last week rejected Mr Angel’s comments made on Monday April 7, in the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald, Channel 10 and ABC news.
“This report is not confidential and is not the result of an internal audit," Cordners says.
"It is an incomplete, draft report commissioned by Covenant Council to identify any anomalies in the recycling figures and to make recommendations on how to improve the quality of the data.”
“This is only our second attempt at compiling comprehensive packaging consumption and recycling figures."
"We know consumer packaging recycling rates are up and are confident of the adjusted numbers for glass and those reported for plastics, steel and aluminium."
"There is still some uncertainty about the paper and cardboard packaging numbers, hence the fact the leaked report is not yet completed."
“I would challenge anyone who claimed perfect results crunching such complex numbers for only the second time," Cordner says.
"For example, there are seven types of plastics and eight different types of paper/ cardboard packaging.”
Cordner says dealing with packaging was a complex matter which required much more than a simplistic solution such as Container Deposit Legislation.
"Container Deposit legislation only touches on a fraction of the total packaging mix and would contribute little or nothing to lifting recycling rates," he says.
“By leaking the draft report, Mr. Angel has breached his confidentiality requirements as a member of the Covenant Council and it appears he is using the advantage of his position to score cheap political points and to push his own opinions on Container Deposit Legislation.”
Mr Cordner says the Covenant was a successful model to divert packaging waste from landfill.
In 2003 it is believed the Australian packaging recycling rate was 48% yet by 2010 the Covenant aims for this figure to be 65%.
The Covenant currently funds more than 50 projects across Australia worth $47 million which investigate better ways to recycle, reuse, recover and re-design packaging to divert it from landfill.
These projects have the potential to stop more an additional 500,000 tonnes of consumer packaging from landfill each year.
To find out more about more go to: www.packagingcovenant.org.au or phone (03) 9861 2322. Ed Cordner 0412-043-215.
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