The National Packaging Covenant Council has named Cr Dick Gross former mayor and current councillor at the City of Port Philip and president of the Municipal Association of Victoria as its new Chair.
The National Packaging Covenant is a unique joint Australian initiative between industry and government set up to stop packaging waste ending up in landfill.
Each year, it elects a new chair from either group to be Council chair.
Cr Gross said the 2008-09 Covenant challenges include:
Overseeing a mid-term review this year by environment ministers which will determine the Covenant’s fate beyond 2010;
- Raising the profile of the 50 projects the Covenant funds worth $50 million which divert packaging waste from landfill;
- Increasing Australia’s packaging recycling rates, particularly from the commercial and industrial sector.
“My dream is to see businesses increasing their recycling efforts and taking a greater responsibility with confidence to do more," says Cr Gross.
"I want the whole of Australia to ask the hard recycling question: ‘what more can I do?’”
“For example, it is estimated that only about 10% of licensed premises in Australia have a recycling service."
"Punters can ask at their local pub ‘do you recycle?’ if not, they might choose to move to one that does or in extreme circumstances shun the pub.”
“As consumers we can all do more and put pressure on businesses to recycle. The onus then not only falls on the businesses but on all of us."
"I would like to leave a legacy of increased packaging recycling rates in Australia,” Cr Gross says.
Covenant CEO Ed Cordner welcomes Cr Dick Gross.
“Dick has been an active member of Covenant Council for two years and brings another dimension to Covenant activities with his smart and savvy waste knowledge and his commitment to the environment and recycling,” he says.
“We sincerely thank Russell Peel, the immediate past Chair and industry representative, for all of his hard work and look forward to Dick continuing the journey and the packaging recycling legacy.”
Cordner says the Covenant has announced funding earlier this week for five new projects which will leverage $42 million of investment into recycling infrastructure and litter prevention in Australia, potentially diverting a further 130,000 tonnes of packaging waste from landfill.
Formore please information: phone Ed Cordner (03) 9861 2322, 0412-043-215 or Dick Gross (03) 9667-5580.
Add a comment