Inaction by the federal government on plastic pollution and health, including from packaging, is defying the health concerns and support for action of over 80% of people, according to a new YouGov poll. With Environment Ministers meeting late this week to discuss packaging reform, the pressure is on the Albanese government to lift its game, the Boomerang Alliance of 56 NGOs said today.
The poll results were consistent across all the key political parties (Labor, Coalition, Greens, One Nation).
“Multiple toxic chemicals enter our bodies from plastic packaging and are widespread as microplastics in the environment. The federal government has done virtually nothing to alleviate the threat to public health, ignoring the national plastic plan and targets and breaking its promise to act on reform. It talks big on the international stage, but is inactive at home,” said Boomerang Director, Jeff Angel.
“At the same time the plastic recycling sector is under threat of collapse because our current recyclate collections are too small and recycled content not mandated. You can imagine the community outrage if more plastic recyclers collapse.”
“I think the Albanese government has seriously underestimated the political backlash if recycling and health are endangered,” Mr Angel said.
Critical measures to reform packaging include:
• A producer responsible scheme for packaging, with mandatory recycling, reuse and recycled content targets
• New rules to eliminate harmful chemicals from packaging
• An immediate producer-funded collection service for soft plastics
The Boomerang Alliance has launched an urgent call for voters to contact their Environment Minister and local MP here.
Key YouGov results (1-8 September 2026)*:
Plastic pollution and microplastics are increasingly being found in human bodies and linked to potential health issues. How concerned or not concerned are you about the impact of plastic pollution on your and your family’s health? – 78% concerned
Do you agree or disagree that the Australian Government has a responsibility to enact new policies to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with plastic packaging? – 87% agree
To protect public health and the environment, how quickly do you think governments should implement binding policies to stop plastic pollution? – 43% within the next year, 27% in 2-3 years.
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1504 Australian voters. Fieldwork was undertaken between the 1st of September – 8th of September 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures are representative of the voting population by age, gender, region, income, education and past vote.
Further information: info@boomerangalliance.org.au
