Communiqués
Environment Protection and Heritage Council
2 October 2003, Perth
Water heads national action agenda
Australian, state and territory Environment Ministers today agreed on a package of new measures to promote a more coordinated response to the nation's water shortage, plastic bag litter and air pollution problems.
The measures, adopted at the 6th Environment Protection and Heritage Council meeting in Perth, aim to make more efficient use of scarce resources and advance the use of new technologies for a more sustainable future.
Water
With water restrictions set to become a permanent feature of life for many urban Australians, Ministers today agreed to support a national Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme to ensure householders make better use of this most precious resource.
In what is believed to be a world-first, manufacturers will be required to place water-efficiency la bels on all showerheads, washing machines, dishwashers and toilets sold in Australia. Other products, including taps, urinals and flow regulators, will be covered on a voluntary basis, with the product list covered by the scheme to expand over time.
The Council agreed to a collaborative approach to implement the scheme nationally. To this end the Commonwealth announced it will draft national legislation in partnership with states and territories to underpin the scheme. This is expected to be in place in 2004 to enable the scheme to commence in 2005. States and territories will be considering complementary legislation as part of a national partnership on water conservation.
The Council noted that the scheme would conserve around 87,200 million litres of water per year, about 5% of total household water use, and save consumers about $620 million per year in water and electricity bills.
To improve our approach to water usage further, Ministers also agreed to work with the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NIZMMC) to develop National Guidelines on Water Recycling.
The guidelines will promote the safe reuse and recycling of wastewater for non-drinking purposes. These guidelines will enable large scale-treated sewage and grey-water to be used for:
- residential garden watering, car washing, toilet flushing and clothes washing
- irrigation for urban recreational and open space, agriculture and horticulture
- fire protection and fire fighting systems
- industrial uses, including cooling water
In addition guidelines will also be developed for grey-water treatment on site including for high rise apartments and office blocks.
The guidelines will be developed in close cooperation with the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Health Ministers Council and the Water Services Association of Australia. They will build on guidelines developed by individual states and territories and based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles.
The first stage of the new guidelines is expected to be complete by December 2004.
Plastic bags
Moving ahead with the national campaign to reduce plastic bag litter, Ministers today formally accepted the Retailers Code of Practice for the Management of Plastic Shopping Bags and called on all retailers, particularly smaller operators, to get behind the Code to ensure national bag reduction and recycling targets are met.
The Australian Retailers Association and major supermarket chains such as Coles and Woolworths, have committed to reduce the use of lightweight single use plastic bags by 50% by the end of 2005 and to increase the recycling of these bags by between 15 and 30%. Retailers are supporting the community goal of cutting bag litter by 75% by 2005.
Retailers have also agreed to introduce a transparent and independent auditing process to measure bag use, recycling and litter levels, to report regularly to Ministers on their progress and to undertake a vigorous recruitment program to encourage more retailers to join the scheme.
Ministers commended retailers such as Bunnings, IKEA and Coles in Tasmania, who have recently taken their own action to reduce plastic bag use.
Ministers also asked officials to commence negotiations with retailers to phase out lightweight plastic bags within 5 years.
On degradable bags, Ministers agreed to release a discussion paper on the Impacts of Degradable Plastic Bags in Australia for public comment. Ministers will consider the reports findings and any public comments at the next EPFIC meeting.
In the meantime government officials will convey the findings of the report to Standards Australia to help develop an appropriate Australian standard for degradable bags.
Air quality
Council initiated a review of the current air quality standards for sulphur dioxide. Council also agreed to commence preliminary work for a review of ambient standards for ozone (an indicator of photochemical smog) in the lead up to a statutory review due in 2005.
Waste tyres
Council also welcomed moves by the tyre industry to promote greater recycling of used tyres.
Tyre manufacturers and importers have formed a joint working group and are working with the Australian Tyre Recyclers Association to develop a framework for voluntary industry action on recycling used tyres.
Ministers noted that this is the first time the tyre industry has come together and worked constructively on the waste tyre issue.
They invited the tyre industry to submit a fully detailed proposal on tyre recycling for consideration at their next meeting in April 2004.
