Media Release
19 December 2017
Greens NSW MP and Environment spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC, has responded to the NSW Auditor General’s Report into Planning and Environment that has highlighted that the NSW Government’s sole environmental indicator to reduce litter is going backwards, with litter increasing 16% over the last year, above the national average.
Dr. Faruqi said:
“The NSW Government only has one target for the environment and even that is slipping backwards. It’s quite frankly embarrassing to see the amount of litter on our streets, beaches and rivers increasing and above the national average.
“The Environmental Protection Authority has said that industrial dumping, such as industrial container, are contributing to an increase in litter. The NSW Government needs to do much more to stop industrial waste being dumped in our communities without much consequence.
“The Container Deposit Scheme is a very good step forward to reducing beverage container pollution– but litter from other sources must also be addressed. The NSW Government must ban plastic bags, invest in waste avoidance and force producers and manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging in their products. We have to get serious about moving to zero waste,” she concluded.
The Auditor General’s report: https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/publications/latest-reports/planning-and-environment-2017 (Page 22)
