Environment ministers talk about rubbish

The country's environment ministers met on Friday - and talked rubbish. State and federal ministers agreed at a meeting in Adelaide to develop a national strategy to tackle waste.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the amount of waste thrown out by Australians had increased by almost a third since 2003.
The new strategy would take an all-encompassing look at waste, and at who should be responsible for cleaning it up.

"Current initiatives on waste at community, industry and government levels, while commendable, need to be looked at in a comprehensive way," Mr Garrett said. One issue on the table is a levy on plastic bags, but ministers did not agree on a national approach.

The ministers also agreed to write national guidelines for approving wind farms. Mr Garrett hoped the guidelines would make it easier for projects to get up. National rules on wind farm noise and the impact on landscapes and animals would improve consistency, he said.

State and territory governments are in charge of approving or knocking back wind farm proposals.