CSIRO sets sights on ending plastic waste in new missions program

The CSIRO will end plastic waste by reinventing the way
plastic is made, processed, and recycled as part of a new “missions-led” collaborative
research strategy.

The national science agency says it will direct $100 million
towards shared research programs – including ending plastic waste and mitigating
the impact of natural disasters – to bolster Australia’s Covid-19 recovery and
build long-term resilience.

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said the
collaboration and goodwill stimulated by the response to Covid-19 can be
harnessed and used to accelerate recovery, create new jobs, and stimulate the
economy.

“While Covid-19 will undoubtedly continue to disrupt,
Australia will come together through this crisis and build a strong future in
the process,” Dr Marshall said.

“We are calling for partners to join this Team Australia approach to solving what seem like unsolvable problems.”  

He said that to help achieve this there will be other
missions involving “Australia’s brightest minds”  to:

• Increase resilience and preparedness against
  pandemics;
• Create a hydrogen industry to generate a new
  clean energy export industry;
• Accelerate the transition to agile manufacturing
  for higher revenue and sovereign supply;
• Use technology to navigate Australia’s transition
  to net zero emissions, without derailing the national economy;
• Safeguard the health of waterways by monitoring
  the quality of water resources from space; and
• Create new industries that transform raw mineral
  commodities into higher-value products like critical energy metals.

In related news, the Federal Government is providing further research funding of $7.6 million into bushfires and Covid-19.

The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) will get
$1.7 million of this funding to replace ecosystem monitoring equipment damaged
by the recent bushfires with more resilient, fire-resistant equipment.

The Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) will receive $1.65 million to replace old IT  hardware and software.