28 March 2012 - Parliamentary
Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water
Senator Don Farrell today announced the
Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform
(ANZRP) as the second organisation able
to deliver services under the National Television
and Computer Recycling Scheme.
"The Scheme will provide Australian
households and small businesses with access
to free collection and recycling services
for televisions, computers, printers and
computer products – boosting the recycling
rates for those products and providing a
long-term solution to te levision and computer
waste," Senator Farrell said.
"As the administrator
of an approved co-regulatory arrangement
ANZRP is able to sign up television and
computer manufacturers and importers, and
collect and recycle products on their behalf.
"ANZRP's approval
follows that of DHL Supply Chain, which
was announced on 6 March."
A variety of providers
is an important part of the National Television
and Computer Recycling Scheme's design,
as it will provide a choice for television
and computer manufacturers and importers
on who they join. Having multiple providers
in the marketplace is also expected to lead
to more options for the community in how
they dispose of their unwanted televisions
and computers.
Further announcements
of successful applicants are expected shortly.
Collections under the new scheme are on
track to commence in mid 2012, with access
to services expanding across Australia by
the end of 2013.
Senator Farrell said
that the approval of ANZRP is significant,
as it brings a wealth of relevant industry
experience and knowledge of the scheme.
"It is great news
that ANZRP is involved with the scheme as
the administrator of an approved arrangement,"
he said.
"As a not for profit
company set up solely to deliver on the
outcomes of the scheme, ANZRP has strong
links with industry, particularly the Australian
Information Industry Association, whose
members have made a big contribution to
the development of the scheme.
"With the continued
support of the Australian Information Industry
Association, ANZRP is well placed to play
an important role in improving the national
recycling rate for televisions and computers."
As an approved co-regulatory
arrangement, ANZRP is required to achieve
annual targets for recycling computers and
televisions, starting with a 30 per cent
recycling rate in 2012-13 and rising to
80 per cent in 2020-21; roll out reasonable
access to free collection services across
Australia by December 2013; and ensure that
appropriate occupational health and safety
and environmental practices are in place.
The National Television
and Computer Recycling Scheme is industry
funded and run, but regulated by the Australian
Government under the landmark Product Stewardship
Act 2011.
+ More
Draft National Wildlife
Corridors Plan
8 March 2012 - The Gillard
Government’s commitment to build a network
of national wildlife corridors is moving
ahead with the release today of the Draft
National Wildlife Corridors Plan.
The Draft National Wildlife Corridors Plan
is a proposed strategy for the Government
to restore and manage ecological connections
in the Australian landscape.
The Draft has been prepared by an independent
Advisory Group chaired by the Hon Bob Debus,
in consultation with the Australian Government.
Environment Minister
Tony Burke said the Advisory Group’s plan
aimed to restore native wildlife and rebuild
the ecological functions in the landscape,
including the long-term retention of natural
stores of carbon.
“Sometimes the areas
that are put into conservation from a connected
landscape are so isolated that they lack
the resilience that comes from connected
landscape,” Mr Burke said.
“You can look at a map
of reserved areas and sometimes it looks
like someone has dipped a toothbrush in
paint and splattered different unconnected
dots across the land.
“Corridors are about
connecting those dots; it’s a way of improving
resilience and ensuring that we are protecting
nature in a way that preserves it for generations
to come.
“National wildlife corridors
would lay a foundation for a new, collaborative,
whole-of-landscape approach to conserving
biodiversity. It’s also designed to help
strengthen the resilience in our native
landscapes against climate change.”
Mr Burke said national wildlife corridors
would be based on voluntary cooperation
and the existing efforts of communities,
landholders, governments and industry.
“Any linking of the
corridors would only be done through existing
methods of putting land into conservation
such as the work of Landcare volunteers,
or when farmers have chosen to be part of
environmental stewardship,” he said.
“It’s important that
landholders understand that wildlife corridors
will have no impact on land except through
the voluntary agreement of the land holder.
The rights which landowners have within
the law would not change under any national
wildlife corridors plan.”
The Advisory Group proposes
new national wildlife corridor legislation
as a mechanism for the nomination, assessment
and listing of national wildlife corridors.
The Government will work through all the
recommendations before formulating a response.
The Government and the
Advisory Group will undertake targeted consultations
with stakeholders. Anyone interested is
invited to submit comments to the Environment
Department. The public comment period closes
on 20 April 2012.
