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AUSTRALIA'S DANGEROUS LITTER

Created on Tuesday, 23 August 2011 10:28

Last Updated on Sunday, 17 February 2013 06:40

The annual National Litter Index from Keep Australia Beautiful demonstrates yet again that beverage containers are the dominant litter problem across Australia, and that South Australia with its container deposit scheme has the lowest volumes of litter, including beverage containers, of all states and territories.

“Of the ‘dirty dozen’ most littered items by volume, beverage containers account for seven of those and it is virtually the same result year after year,” said Jeff Angel, Convener of the Boomerang Alliance of 17 environment groups.

“Obviously, with its ten cent deposit on bottles and cans, South Australia is streets ahead of the rest when it comes to the littering of these items, but SA also has the lowest volumes of litter overall,” said Mr Angel.

“Unfortunately, every year this report comes out, Ministers and beverage companies pledge to tackle the scourge of litter with inadequate programs and every year the same waste appears littered across the country.”

“Broken glass bottles cause around 40,000 injuries in Australia per year including 5000 requiring medical treatment.  While plastics, including from beverage containers break apart, are ingested by birds, fish, whales and dolphins and cause death to this wildlife.”

“This littered material should be recycled. A national deposit scheme like SA’s will obviously work and the beverage industry should get out of the way and allow states to act.”

“Despite some methodological questions about the litter index the Boomerang Alliance welcomes the contribution made by KAB to this debate,” said Mr Angel.