The next time you unwrap a chocolate bar, consider this. One year from now, you’ll have thrown away around 90 kg of packaging waste. And so will everyone you know. Put us Aussies all together and that’s enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground nine times over. (So much for the footy!)
Despite how much energy and resources it takes to make, most of this packaging will be used only once. Which, given the amount of greenhouse gas it produces (860,000 cars-worth), is pretty silly.
Enter: the National DUMP and KEEP Awards.
Environment Victoria awards producers for both good and bad practices in packaging.
Our national DUMP awards – short for Damaging and Useless Materials in Packaging – calls attention to those products with the most excessive and irresponsible packaging.
Meanwhile, our national KEEP awards – short for Kerbing the Environmental Effects of Packaging – acknowledges those products with environmentally friendly packaging or that have significantly improved.
In 2009, the winner of our Golden DUMP Award was Coles for their double-wrapped pack of lemons. Shortly afterwards, Coles withdrew this product from their shelves!
(Proving that a little bit of bad publicity can go a long way).
You can help us by keeping an eye out for both good and bad packaging examples and letting us know.
Get all the buzz on our past and present winners, below.