(Journal Online) Perth City, Australia/Quezon City, Philippines. On the eve of the new global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Paris, the Australian Environment Minister has decided to reopen plastic waste exports, after a five-year ban introduced by the previous federal government. The 2019 ban on waste exports came in response to China and Southeast Asian countries’ exposé on waste dumping. Countries that Australia had previously exported plastic waste to, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, struggle to manage plastic waste pollution, resulting in significant harm to vulnerable communities and sensitive marine environments.
As scientific evidence grows on the full extent and damage to our planet and human health that plastic waste causes, such regressive decisions from Australia underscore a colonialist approach to waste management policy, where pollution is externalized. The decision highlights decades of failed national plastic waste regulation and a national plastic waste policy in disarray. “This is no way to fight a plastic pollution crisis,” warned Jane Bremmer, Coordinator of Zero Waste Australia… Read More