Flinders is working with our retailers on campus to reduce waste and shift to reusable or recyclable options.
Around the world we recognise that phasing out single-use plastics is an important and achievable step in reducing pollution, cutting carbon emissions and protecting marine life. We must also change how we design, use, and reuse plastics. We cannot simply recycle or reduce our way out of the plastic pollution crisis.
Without action, by 2040 the annual flow of plastic into the ocean will nearly triple – to 29 million metric tonnes per year, the equivalent of 50kg of plastic for every metre of coastline worldwide and by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans. Read more about statistics in The New Plastics Economy, 2016 report from the World Economic Forum.
What we’re doing about it
South Australia has taken the lead to address the impacts associated with a range of single-use and other plastic products. The next phase of SA’s Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) legislation comes into effect with the following items banned from sale, supply and distribution in SA from 1 September 2024:
- plastic barrier bags
- thick supermarket and boutique-style plastic bags
- EPS consumer food and beverage containers
- plastic confetti and plastic balloon sticks/ties
- plastic bread tags
- single-use plastic beverage containers (including coffee cups)
- single-use plastic food containers.
Flinders supports this legislation and as the home of both the College of Science and Engineering’s Nano and Microplastic Research Consortium (NMRC) laboratory and the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, we lead the country in both research and practical applications.
We are working with our retailers on campus to reduce waste and shift to reusable or recyclable options to ensure waste doesn’t enter the environment in the first place. This circular economy is part of our commitment to environmental sustainability. Read more about Flinders’ 2030 Sustainability Strategy and resource recovery strategies.
This Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Program is the first legislation of its kind in Australia. It is a positive step towards avoiding waste and promoting local innovation and a circular economy. Other states and territories have since followed SA’s lead.
Read more about the program and the re-usable alternatives to the banned items at Replace the Waste – Green Industries SA.