The Federal Government is introducing legislation that it says will allow Australia to take more responsibility for its waste.

The Morrison Government has put forth the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, seeking to stop 645,000 tonnes of unprocessed plastic, paper, glass and tyres from being shipped overseas each year.

It also includes reforms to the regulation of product stewardship to incentivise companies to take greater environmental responsibility for the products they manufacture, and what happens at the end of their life.

The bill places an export ban on waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres.

Australia’s recycling sector has been in crisis in recent years, with local governments scrambling to respond to China’s reduced acceptance of foreign waste, which has derailed several councils’ collection of kerbside recycling.

“This is about tackling a national environmental issue that has been buried in landfill or shipped offshore for far too long,” Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said on Thursday.

“Our $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund and our actions under the National Waste Policy Action Plan will create 10,000 new jobs over the next 10 years – that is a 32 per cent increase in jobs in the Australian waste and recycling sector.”

Trevor Evans, the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, says the Government wants companies to take greater responsibility for the waste they generate.

“We are making it easier for industry to set up and join in product stewardship schemes. Yet where voluntary product stewardship schemes are not effective, or where they are not created in priority areas, the government will have new tools to intervene and regulate,” Assistant Minister Evans said.

“Our legislative changes will transform our waste industry, meaning increased recycling and remanufacturing of waste materials which will create new industry and generate more jobs.”

The Australian Council of Recycling - which has pushed for more ‘circular economy’ measures to tackle the recycling crisis - welcomed the changes.

“Taken together with other reforms, this unprecedented legislation marks a new era of environmental and economic achievement in recycling through Government leadership and industry partnership and innovation,” Australian Council of Recycling CEO Pete Shmigel said.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council – a major lobby that has been criticised for opposing container recycling schemes – welcomed the Bill “as a significant leap in the right direction to reduce waste and increase access to high quality packaging with high levels of recycled content for Australia’s manufacturers”.