Introduction
The formation of the PNEB in 1990 was prompted by a change in community
attitudes to the environment. A public attitude poll that year showed
that 73% of Australians believed that the environment was the most important
public issue, placing it ahead of education, jobs and the economy. Essentially
the PNEB was established to help Governments and the community to make
sensible decisions on recycling old newspapers and magazines.
Part of this environmental awareness was a recognition that resources
are finite - if we are to pass the planet on to our children in good shape
then we had better do something now. In the case of the print media, recycling
old newspapers, magazines and other printed material became a concept
that was widely supported. It became important to recycle old paper and
to not let this valuable used paper go to landfill.
This community concern was an issue for governments. At both State and
Federal level. The issue became how to manage the process of recycling
all products in Australia not just recycling paper. The result was an
Industry Commission Enquiry that held hearings all over Australia and
reported on its findings in 1991. The PNEB was a contributor to those
hearings.
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