The ACT Government consulted with the community on the ACT's Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan in late 2022 and early 2023. The ACT Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030 has now been released and the ACT Government has developed new legislation to support a legal framework to establish a circular economy in Canberra.

The Circular Economy Bill 2023, which was passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly on 24 October 2023, will replace the the Plastic Reduction Act 2021. The new legislation will continue the phase out of single use plastics and sets a framework for future regulations to require businesses to have a separate collection for co-mingled recycling and organic waste collection, as well as a food waste reduction plan.

Details of how these new waste reduction measures will work are contained in a draft regulation and consultation regulatory impact statement (RIS), which have been released to assist impacted stakeholders, business and industry. See the Document Library on this page.

Targeted consultation took place in 2023-24, and feedback received from impacted stakeholders was utilised to inform the final regulation and ACT Government design implementation. If you have questions, please email us at TCCS.PolicyLegislation@act.gov.au.

New circular economy regulation postponed

In 2023 the ACT Government passed the Circular Economy Act 2023. Under the Act, it was proposed that a regulation be introduced to require:

• businesses that generate waste to have a co-mingled recycling collection system
• food businesses to develop a food waste reduction plan
• food businesses to have a collection for food waste.

The ACT Government has postponed the introduction of these requirements to provide business more time to plan and adjust.

Information on how these recycling and food waste recovery requirements can be practically implemented by businesses will be made available prior to their introduction in the future to provide an appropriate lead-in time to allow businesses to prepare.

Find out more about the ACT Circular Economy Strategy 2023-2030 including information on the consultation undertaken with industry in 2023 on the draft regulation.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation on the Circular Economy Strategy. The Listening Report summarising what we heard can be viewed here.

In our current system, raw materials and resources are made into products and after use, are thrown away as waste. This ‘take, make, dispose’ model is a linear system that is unsustainable for our planet.

The circular economy is a different approach that aims to keep resources circulating in our economy for as long as possible. It aims to maximise the value of materials, creates jobs and stops waste from being produced in the first place.

The benefits of adopting a circular economy are not just about improving the natural environment, wellbeing and supporting the transition to a net zero city. The circular economy provides great opportunities for innovation, economic growth and job creation.

The three key principles of a circular economy are:

• design out waste and pollution
• keep products and materials in use
• avoid negative impacts to the environment and regenerate natural systems.

We developed a draft ACT Circular Economy Strategy that outlined the vision, strategic objectives and focus areas to take the first steps to making our economy more circular.

The community had their say by:

• reviewing the draft ACT Circular Economy Strategy
• uploading a submission
• completing the survey.

There are five key focus areas that provide a significant opportunity to advance circularity in the ACT through to 2025.

These focus areas are aligned with initiatives already underway in the ACT and provide transformative potential for the ACT based on their contribution to material consumption, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the opportunities they provide to create change across the supply chain.

Community feedback informed the final ACT Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030.

Before making a submission, please review the YourSay privacy policy. Any personal information received in the course of your submission will be used only for the purposes of this community engagement process. Names of organisations may be included in any subsequent consultation report, but all individuals will be deidentified unless prior approval is gained.