The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA), the national voice of the organics recycling industry, believes Plastic Wars, featured on Four Corners, contains valuable lessons for Australia in better managing its waste and recycling tasks.

Plastic Wars, a PBS Frontline production from the USA, was featured on Four Corners on 10 August and provides an overview of the disastrous state of reduction, reuse and recycling of plastics in the United States.

“Obviously, the story was specific to issues in the US. However, it would be wrong to claim that there are no common issues between Australia and the US, and a greater mistake not to pay heed to the lessons to be learnt from their errors,” said Peter Wadewitz OAM, AORA national chair.

The Australian recycling crisis following the China National Sword bans, and subsequent waste export bans, have brought home the challenges facing several Australian waste streams.