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“And we have to guard against greenwashing and free riders.”

Plibersek will say that the government will work on those steps with the industry, but is prepared to regulate if they do not work.

She will say that the federal government can help other levels of government “harmonise” the collection of waste across jurisdictions, particularly in co-ordinating container deposit schemes and kerbside waste collection.

According to Plibersek, Australian residents have been diligently sorting through their garbage for recycling for years based on public advice that this would assist with the process. Given the collapse of recycling programs, they have a right to feel cheated by the failure.

“And now, because the system failed them, over 12,000 tonnes of plastic collected over four years risks going to landfill.”

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Last year, this masthead revealed that soft plastics dropped off for recycling at supermarkets had been stockpiled since 2018 after the firm, REDcycle, had lost the capacity to recycle the product, but had failed to inform the public.

The program was suspended in November and since then, the company has been ordered to bury millions of tonnes of waste in landfill.

Australia produces about 76 million tonnes of waste each year, of which over a quarter ends up in landfill, where it can leach toxins into the environment and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

At the round table, industry representatives will discuss how to increase the proportion of waste diverted from landfill for reuse and recycling.

The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Visy will host the Recycling Round Table today, featuring key industry leaders and the Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek.

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