Transitional APC Plans

As we have communicated previously, and above, the current version of the Australian Packaging Covenant has been extended until 30 June 2016.

The current KPIs for APC signatories will remain in place throughout this extended twelve month period, and annual reporting will take place in March 2016 against these KPIs. Continuing to track your organisation’s performance, and manage APC-related programs, will help to ensure you have the best data available when it comes time to develop plans and activities beyond June 2016.

Signatories who have an expiring action plan are advised to prepare a one year transitional action plan to address this period. Transitional plans can be internal documents (rather than public documents available via the APC website), however they should be submitted to the APC so that it is clear what is being reported against in March 2016.

As always, the APC member services team is available to assist and provide advice on how to prepare for the year ahead.

Australian Plastic Packaging Recycling

The overall plastics packaging recycling rate is 43.9% based on the current methodology. The APC has helped achieve a more than doubling of the recycling rate for all plastic packaging from 20% in 2003 to 43.9% in 2014.  The tonnes recycled have increased some 81.6% between 2003 and 2014, from 127,397 Tonnes to 231,300 Tonnes.

In 2012 it was shown that beverage PET recycling was 59.9%.

The current Australian methodology was based on the methodology used in Europe to assess the plastic packaging recycling rate.  The published plastic packaging recycling rate in Europe was 34.7% (2012).

Following a 2014 review of the current recycling methodology a revised methodology has been developed by independent consultants. While the new methodology is yet to be approved, it addresses a consumption data shift that has been outlined in the plastics recycling report since 2013:

The current methodology excludes consumption of imported finished and semi-finished plastic goods including packaging. The market for plastics products in Australia has shifted significantly in the 10 years that this methodology has been applied, with local manufacturing decreasing and an increase in imported finished and semi-finished goods. Plastics consumption data in Australia will be subject to a reviewed methodology in future years (2012-13 report abstract).

A change in the recycling rate is only way to measure the environmental impact of packaging waste - the future APC will also give consideration to measuring other elements of the waste hierarchy, such as reduction in resource use (such as through light-weighting) and other forms of re-use and recovery.

In relation to any changes to the existing recycling target, there has been no recommendation by the Australian Packaging Covenant Council to consider removing or changing the recycling target. Any new targets or KPI’s will be determined as part of a new Covenant and Strategic Plan.

For further details on APC Recycling Data go to: http://www.packagingcovenant.org.au/pages/apc-recycling-data.html