The regulatory path to an Australian materials economy built on soils, not oils
16.06.2025 07:35
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The regulatory path to an Australian materials economy built on soils, not oils
Vibe code the change you want to see in the world.
www.youtube.com/shorts/ri3yo...
Tax wealth, not work #auspol
Hat tip @garyseconomics.bsky.social
All of these advances in AI and my iPhone still hasn’t worked out that me constantly putting an ‘n’ between to correctly spelled words is meant to be a space. Doesn’t even provide the option. Instead it goes 🤷♂️
We dodged a bullet this time. But storms like TC Alfred aren’t supposed to come this far south—now they do.Then came the image: a girl checking her phone in floodwaters. Denial? Apathy? Resilience? A glimpse of our climate future? I wrote about it here 👉 www.whatsthematter.info/is-this-the-...
A tale of two parties: The most important response to natural disasters is the preparation. So much to do in so little time. The Greens have an army of vollies filling sandbags. While Dutton abandons his electorate for a fundraiser with a pub barron at his $100 million mansion.
The "Russia Hoax" doesn't seem so hoaxy anymore now, huh?
We need institutions, governments, and businesses to step up. The solutions exist—we just need the will to act.
Reverse logistics might seem daunting, but system tweaks like rethinking the postie could clear the path to a more circular economy.
The single-use plastics era has to end, whether we’re ready or not.
As Jo-Anne Chidley of Re puts it:
“Consumers want the stuff inside the bottle. They don’t want the bottle anymore.”
So let’s start designing systems that reflect that.
By ensuring the price for single-use packaging reflects its true cost (e.g. via landfill levies), 'Extended Producer Responsibility' (EPR) could fund the infrastructure needed to level the playing field for refill & reuse systems and help them become viable.
A hidden opportunity: Every day, couriers deliver packages to your doorstep and leave...empty-handed.
What if they also collected your empties?
Standardised boxes with pre-paid labels could make returns frictionless—just like a modern milk run.
Those reusable coffee cup systems? They needed 3 cups per user:
- 1 with the customer
- 1 in transit
- 1 being washed
Great idea, but they struggled with costs and logistics, and many have gone under.
New refill & reuse systems (no matter how innovative) keep bumping up against the same challenge: reverse logistics
That is, returning, cleaning, and refilling containers.
It can be costly and time-intensive. And for many businesses, it just doesn’t make financial sense.
Reuse isn't new—it’s a comeback story.
For decades, refill & reuse systems were the norm. Glass bottles for milk and soda were returned, washed, and refilled.
But our consumption culture made single-use packaging king. It’s cheap, convenient... and choking our ecosystems.
Refill & reuse systems are a primary strategy for reducing waste—but they've hit a wall: reverse logistics.
Could the humble postie help close the loop? 🧵
This is a monumental, inter-generational failure of planning and imagination at epic proportions. I remember when I was living in Amsterdam in the early 2000s and saw how much thought went into the design, materials, amenities, and community of new developments there, and I wept for my home town.
Under Dutton’s leadership the coalition parties have gone from supporting reconciliation to not wanting to be in the same room as the indigenous flag.
Dutton wants a culture war.
Refute his position thoughtfully, freaking out is what he wants.
Respecting 60,000 years is easy to explain.
#AusPol
I, for one, will always be a an advocate for gratuitous sax 🎷
Vale. I loved all of your films… even Dune.
Maybe he just forgot where he was and he thought he was on the other bad site. I prescribe a week in Amsterdam, to help prove your original point and open up his frame of reference of on living in a bike-centric culture.
Quality rant, backed up by data. If only the rest of the corporate media gave half a shit.
Compostable materials aren’t the problem. The lack of pathways to compost them is. By investing in testing, infrastructure, and policies, we can unlock their potential. Ready to rethink our materials economy? Learn more here 👇
PFAS contamination was a wake-up call, but it’s also an opportunity. With better policies and composting infrastructure, we can transition to a materials economy built on soils, not oils. 🌱
We do this for medicines, food safety, vehicle and aviation safety. Our institutions (while far from perfect) are incredibly effective at testing and certification to ensure safety. This would be no different.
The solution starts with rigorous testing. Materials must prove they’re:
✅ Bio-based
✅ Toxin-free
✅ Able to bioassimilate into compost AND the natural environment
This ensures trust and safety all along the value chain.
But compostable materials could be game-changers. Many are made from agricultural waste or fast-growing feedstocks like seaweed, which sequester carbon. Composting them keeps carbon in the loop instead of adding to the atmosphere.
The result? Compostable materials can’t enter the organics recycling stream. Without the infrastructure or policies to support them, they’re unfairly punished by lifecycle analysis, pushing brands to stick with less sustainable options.
In NSW, Australia, all compostable packaging (except caddy liners) is banned from certified compost heaps thanks to PFAS contamination. These “forever chemicals” were found in bamboo and bagasse products sold as “eco-friendly.”
