Road to Canberra

The Plastics Circle got political in March, as Trish (CEO) and Murray (COO) took to the Federal Highway, and Parliament House.

(Not sure who that other dude in the picture is...)

The Plastics Circle had been invited to offer expert opinion at the launch the Parliamentary Friends of Waste & Recycling - an official interest group of federal MPs who share concerns about the current waste recycling crisis. Their aim is to educate and excite other MPs, to share information, and to understand best practice on this pressing issue.

Trish and Murray led discussions around the impact of plastics in the regional (Indo-Pacific) environment, the need for better understanding of plastic circular economies, and the urgent need for action through investment. They were also able to demonstrate the impact of the PlastX pilot in India, and apprise the group of impending projects in Thailand, India and Indonesia.

Parliamentary Friends of Waste and Recycling is co-chaired by Libby Coker MP (the Labor Member for Corangamite) and Bridget Archer (the Liberal Member for Bass). Others in attendance included Katie Allen MP (Liberal) for Higgins; Trevor Evans MP (Liberal) for Brisbane; Warren Entsch MP (Liberal) for Leichhardt; Dr Mike Freelander MP (Labor) for Macarthur); Josh Wilson MP (Labor) for Freemantle; Steve Georganas MP (Labor) for Adelaide; Alicia Payne MP (Labor) for Canberra - and baby Elena (observing only!); Andrew Leigh MP (Labor) for Fenner; and Gladys Liu MP (Liberal) for Chisholm.

Politicians from both sides of the political divide were engaged and attentive. Their presence at the meeting demonstrates that there 's a deep - and reassuringly bipartisan - interest in understanding the issues of plastic at a granular level.

Thanks Canberra! We'll be back!