Waste is often not something we like to talk about. How we manage our household waste, including food scraps, can feel personal, yet how we choose to manage it can have a significant impact on the larger community and on our planet. I know inner westies want to reduce their environmental impact and reduce the environmental harm from single-use plastics and other household waste. I am proud to be a member of a government that is tackling this issue head-on, with its public consultation now open on the NSW Plastics: The Way Forward action plan. Since 2022, in our State we have made really important progress in addressing the plastic pollution crisis, phasing out lightweight plastic bags and single-use plastic cutlery, bowls, plates, stirrers and straws. This has led to a drop of 77 per cent in the number of banned single‑use plastics items found in litter.
But more needs to be done. In 2022-23, New South Wales alone generated 891,000 tonnes of plastic waste, with only 14 per cent of this being recycled. About 79 per cent of the litter that washes into our waterways is plastic, polluting our precious rivers such as the Cooks River, which runs through my electorate. We are fortunate that members of local groups like the Cooks River Valley Association and the Mudcrabs work hard to clean up and improve the Cooks River and its surrounds, but we need to take stronger steps to reduce the waste that is going into our waterways in the first place. The Way Forward action plan builds on the success of the NSW Plastics: Next Steps paper, which the community provided feedback on earlier this year. Importantly, the plan outlines three key actions: reduce plastic litter, reduce harmful chemicals in plastics and microplastics, and keep pace with plastic action. Simple but important actions include phasing out the use of single-use plastic lollipop sticks and requiring food service venues such as fast-food restaurants and cafes to accept re-usable cups.
Much of the action that is occurring to reduce and eliminate waste is happening at the local level. I congratulate locals in my community and Inner West Council on the success of the Food Organics, Garden Organics initiative, better known as FOGO. Council moved to expand food waste recycling to every home in the inner west, and in its first year of operation alone over 8,000 tonnes of food waste has been diverted from landfill. The amount of food and organic material collected each month is, on average, 17 per cent higher than expected and contamination rates are extremely low. Adopting FOGO has led to significant carbon emission reductions because food scraps are no longer rotting in landfill and emitting harmful methane. Instead, food scraps are being industrially composted for use in the Central West, where they are being used to grow high-quality food and fibres.
The council has also taken delivery of high-quality compost from residents' food waste that has contributed to green spaces across the community, including truckloads of quality compost used to support recent tree planting in the Richard Murden Reserve in Haberfield. Council bin audits suggest that roughly 40 per cent of a standard household bin is made up of food scraps. While many residents now report their bin is lighter, they also note that this space is now being taken up by soft plastics. Since the collapse of REDcycle, residents have not been able to recycle soft plastics. Thankfully, the council plans to address this issue by expanding soft plastics recycling. This is all about creating a truly circular economy for soft plastics that can help drive investment in domestic recycling. Inner West Council is also working to create a new grants scheme for local organisations working in the circular economy, continuing to support local organisations doing this important work.
I particularly acknowledge leading organisations like Reverse Garbage, the Bower, Among the Trees and Dress for Success, among many others. The establishment of the sustainability hub in the old council depot in Summer Hill is also contributing to local efforts. People used to line up at the hub for COVID testing, and now they find world-class organisations helping to eliminate waste, promote local jobs, and teach important sustainability principles to locals young and old. The New South Wales Government understands the importance of improving waste management and promoting sustainability across the State by investing in recycling infrastructure, increasing community education on waste reduction and implementing stricter regulations on single-use plastics. It is committed to building a cleaner, greener New South Wales.