PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2018

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 19 No. 05/18 www.petpla.net 18 PET recycling in Australia – a discussion with Boomerang Alliance campaigner Annett Finger “Recycling is not the ultimate answer” by Kay Barton In February, we visited the Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne, which celebrated its 20 th anniversary in 2018. Over the years, something that originated with a small group of local activists has developed into an event that has gained international recognition and now attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year. It is here that we met with PhD Annett Finger, who works for the Boomerang Alliance NGO as its sole campaigner in the Austral- ian state of Victoria. Annett is ghting for a better understanding of the handling of plastic waste, for nationwide recycling and for the container deposit scheme, and doing so also at a political level. For NGOs, reformers and activists and for all other interested visitors, the Sustainable Living Festival is an annual highlight. It is the major oppor- tunity to nd out about Australian projects, to initiate collaborations or to simply exchange views and experi- ences, to talk about their own contri- butions and to take part in discussions on the subject of sustainability. As well as numerous information stands on a variety of different concepts, the event includes workshops, discussions and presentations by experts. PETplanet: What were the factors that led to the founding of the Boo- merang Alliance Initiative by Dave West in 2003? Was there some kind of trigger? Annett Finger: He was working with the Ecos group and key NGOs on introducing product stewardship and container deposits. These schemes were driven by the overuse of packag- ing, the litter they produced and the resources that were wasted. It became clear that we needed a coalition. PETplanet: How did Boomerang become part of TEC (the Total Envi- ronment Centre)? Annett Finger: TEC provides logistical and strategic support to Boo- merang Alliance. PETplanet: When did you join Boomerang Alliance, and why? Annett Finger: I joined Boomer- ang Alliance in August 2016. After years of research in marine ecotoxi-