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Launch of Publishers' Plan

Statement by Frank Kelett, Executive Director of the Publishers National Environment Bureau at the launch of the National Environmental Sustainability Plan (Newsprint) by Senator the Hon Ian Campbell, Minister for Environment and Heritage in Parliament House, Canberra on February 8, 2005.

Thank you Minister for supporting newspaper recycling for the 21 st century.

Hon Senator Ian Campbell, Minister for Environment and Heritage helped by Frank Kelett, PNEB Executive Director

Hon Senator Ian Campbell, Minister for Environment and
Heritage at Parliament House on February 8 (doing the right
thing by newspaper recycling, helped by Frank Kelett,
PNEB Executive Director)

We believe this is the world’s first industry alliance on environmental sustainability endorsed by government – and in this case by all Federal, State and Territory governments.

In Australia we have a unique alliance between the users of newsprint, the newspaper publishers and the producer of newsprint. Three

successive five year plans developed and maintained by this alliance have helped propel Australia to the best in the world in newspaper recycling.

This wasn’t achieved without considerable commitment. The investment by the industry of $133 million in the early nineties to build a world-class recycling and de-inking plant, which literally soaks up 100,000 tonnes of old newspapers and 60,000 tonnes of old magazines a year, created a new market for recovered paper in Australia, which at that time only went into cardboard or was exported.

This was supported by the publishers in funding $6million worth of initiatives to encourage and support newspaper recycling, plus many millions more over the years in industry funded information and educational materials. The publishers also ensure that unsold copies returned to them by newsagents are recycled, as is all press waste from their printing plants.

Recycling is also supported by the newsprint manufacturer, Norske Skog Australasia, having spent millions helping develop and underwrite the kerbside collection of newspapers which in turn made kerbside collection of all recyclables viable. It is fair to say that without newspapers in the Local Government kerbside recycling stream, home collections of other recyclables would be unacceptably expensive to consumers.

After these three very successful Plans, which exceeded every target set for them, the industry has produced a new five year plan which introduces Sustainability principles which has publishers undertaking the recycling of all materials used in production of newspapers and magazines, extending our commitment to Product Stewardship.

The newspaper, as well as being the supreme source of information and ideas, is a renewable resource. Collected clean and uncontaminated, it can be used over and over again to make new newspapers.

Thank you again for your support Minister. This and the support of all tiers of government for recycling is a great environmental benefit for the community.

Read the Current Industry Plan (PDF - 271KB)