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Marine plastic pollution and environmentally responsible trade
Question 1:
Advice on whether and how environmentally responsible trade in recycled plastics can reduce leakage of plastic into the ocean, without merely shifting the plastic waste burden from one country to another, by answering the following questions:
a) Can environmentally responsible trade in recycled plastics reduce leakage of plastic into the ocean?
b) If so, how and to what extent? Provide three examples (not limited to the Asia-Pacific region) outlining the critical success factors.
c) If not, why not? Provide three examples (not limited to the Asia-Pacific region) outlining the barriers, and whether and how they could be overcome.
Question 2:
Identify opportunities to ensure that trade in recycled plastics in the Asia-Pacific region is environmentally responsible, by exploring the following:
a) Identify capacity gaps and needs in the Asia-Pacific region to manage and recycle plastic materials, including whether changing the types of plastic produced or imported could facilitate improved management and recycling of plastic materials.
i. Existing research and data should be drawn on where possible.
b) Identify whether and how environmentally responsible trade in recycled plastics in the Asia-Pacific region can address those capacity gaps and needs.
c) Based on the findings in a-b above, recommend three countries (or regions within countries) to use as case studies that will be illustrative of challenges and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, you could select:
i. A Pacific country that is well advanced in terms of its infrastructure to deal with its plastics waste, a Pacific country that is less advanced in that respect, and an Asian country, OR
ii. A country (or region within a country) in Asia that is a major source of plastic (meaning a major producer and/or exporter of plastic products), and two countries in the Pacific that are major importers of plastic but have varying ability to deal with plastic waste.
Question 3:
For the three countries (or regions within countries) selected:
a) Identify barriers to environmentally responsible trade in recycled plastics and measures required to address those barriers.
b) Identify capacity gaps and needs in implementing international controls on trade in waste (taking into account recent decisions under the Basel Convention which will come into force on 1 January 2021).
c) Examine whether environmentally responsible trade in recycled plastics could have perverse outcomes, and (if so) recommend –
i. how any such perverse outcomes could be minimised or avoided
ii. whether the risk of perverse outcomes outweighs the benefits, in terms of net effects on reducing marine plastic pollution.
Please be aware there is a departmental stand down period over the Christmas period. Any enquiries received after 24 December 2019 will be attended to from 2 January 2020.
Please note there will be limited AusTender helpdesk support on the 23 December 2019 and no AusTender helpdesk support during the Christmas Holiday period from 24 December 2019. The AusTender Help Desk standard operation hours will recommence from 9:00am (AEDT) Thursday, 2 January 2020.
The ATO will progressively close for system upgrades from 24 December 2019 to 6.00am AEDT 2 January 2020. As a result, the ATO may not be able to process Statement of Tax Record (STR) requests lodged after 18 December until the New Year. Applications for STRs should be received by the ATO before 16th December 2019.
There are no Conditions for Participation
Expected commencement date is Friday 14 February 2020
Deliverable dates are over period Monday 17 February 2020 to Monday 3 August 2020