War on Waste: July 25

Planet advocate Craig Reucassel is back on ABC this week for a dive deep into Australia’s waste crisis to sort the facts from the PR spin, meet new waste warriors, & track down fresh everyday solutions to help all of us do our part in the War on Waste.

In the first episode, presenter Craig Reucassel continues his War on Waste by re-visiting the vexed issue of plastic waste. Although we’ve made great strides forward in recent years with the banning of many single-use plastics, Australians are still generating 100 kilograms of plastic waste per person every year. Craig takes to the streets to confront everyday Aussies about the issue and encourages all of us to reduce the amount we use and throw away.

He then tackles the fallout from the collapse of the Redcycle soft plastics recycling scheme. How did so much soft plastic end up dumped in warehouses around the country? Where will it end up now? And what solutions are there ahead for managing soft plastics recycling?

Craig also fronts up to billion-dollar pharmaceutical businesses with a blistering issue they can no longer ignore. Pharmaceutical blister packs made from aluminium and plastic are able to be recycled – but currently that’s being left to volunteer organisations and a small number of pharmacies. Craig wants to see if these multinational pharmaceutical companies will rise to the challenge and become part of a national recycling scheme, where producers take responsibility for the waste they’re generating.

Craig meets the residents of Wood St who we’ll follow across the series. The first task is to find out what the families in this suburban neighbourhood are wasting, and just how much. Over the coming weeks, we’ll chart their waste-reduction efforts, and Craig will have useful waste tips that all of us can use at home.

On the issue of microplastics, Craig will pose a frightening question. With all the plastic we use and throw away, how much is ending up inside us? To find out, Craig undergoes a scientific scan – and the results may be shocking.

8:30pm Tuesday on ABC.