Wastebusters support recycling bill

By Liz Humphrys

MELBOURNE -- Community and green groups attended a May 20 Wastebusters rally in support of the Victorian government's Environment Protection (Resource Recovery) Bill, which aims to halve the state's waste by the year 2000. The bill, a result of long negotiations involving government, corporate, union and environmental representatives, is opposed by the Liberal opposition.

Several large corporations, mainly carton and plastics manufacturers, have published advertisements urging the public to lobby politicians against the bill because they prefer “self-regulation” to laws forcing them to recycle or reduce industrial waste and contribute to recycling efforts.

The Wastebusters network aims to promote conservation of natural resources and energy by reducing all forms of waste and pollution. Also supporting the rally were the Rainbow Alliance, Environmental Youth Alliance, Melbourne University Environmental Working Party, and concerned community residents. The protesters sent each state MP a letter attached to a plastic container, and asked for a reply.

Corporate opponents of the bill claim they are prepared to spend $70 million on recycling, but one of the biggest plastics manufacturers, ICI, recently stopped accepting PVC containers for recycling.

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