MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire will write to the federal government asking it to reconsider the decision to abandon its commitment to mandatory national packing standards.
At the 29 September council meeting, councillors unanimously supported Cr David Gill’s notice of motion.
The motion calls on the shire to write to the federal government, relevant ministers and local MPs, and ask for the decision to be reconsidered.
Gill said the decision would leave councils, communities, and ratepayers carrying more of the cost of managing waste.
“The federal government’s decision to abandon its commitment to mandatory national packaging standards will leave councils, communities and ratepayers carrying an even greater share of Australia’s growing waste and recycling burden,” said Gill.
He said the national scheme would have required packaging companies to use more recycled content and cover the costs of managing used packaging.
“Ratepayers and councils are already paying to deal with enormous volumes of packaging that producers put into the market,” said Gill.
“Without national regulated product stewardship, there’s no mechanism to enable industry to help carry those costs.”
Gill said Australia uses more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging each year, with more than one million tonnes ending up in landfill or as litter.
“That’s a huge burden, a huge cost, and on top of that, the state government puts a levy on all of that, and that’s substantial,” said Gill.
He also warned of potential consequences for recycling services if recyclers were unable to scale up.
“If recyclers close or divest because they cannot get the certainty they need to scale up, councils could have fewer providers to contract with, costs could rise, and even more material end up in landfills that already are under significant pressure,” said Gill.
Gill said without the packing reform, ratepayers will be paying for landfills instead of things that make communities “vibrant and liveable”.
Cr Patrick Binyon said addressing the source of the waste is the smart decision.
“Especially, as we know, as we come into the summer months, we’re going to probably cop a barrage from our residents about the rubbish that’s left on our foreshore,” said Binyon.
Cr Paul Pingiaro reminded residents they can recycle soft plastics at Rye and Mornington Resource Recovery Centres.
“It’s not a curbside pickup, but it is free for our residents and businesses to dispose of their soft plastics at our resource centres,” said Pingiaro.
“This is in a partnership with Solo, so for further information, jump on the [shire’s] website and check that out because that reduces our landfill; it also helps recycle, especially during the fuel crisis, because these are fuel-based products,” said Pingiaro.
Council officers will now prepare a letter to the federal government, using existing resources and budget allocation.
First published in the Mornington News – 6 October 2026
