On 21 March 2019, the Waste Reduction and Recycling (Waste Levy) Amendment Regulation 2019 was made and provides more detail on operational obligations and requirements to implement the waste levy.
The Waste Reduction and Recycling (Waste Levy) Amendment Act 2019 received royal assent in February — making it law. Queensland Parliament passed amendments to the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 (the amendment Act) to introduce the waste levy commencing 1 July 2019.
There have been a number of improvements confirmed for councils with the release of the Waste Reduction and Recycling (Waste Levy) Amendment Regulation 2019. The Regulation now provides greater detail relating to the treatment of exempt waste, definition of municipal solid waste (MSW), discounting methodology, weight measuring criteria, annual payments to councils, levy zone, rates and fees.
Here is a snapshot of the key points most relevant to local councils:
- Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) includes waste generated from street sweeping, public bins, maintaining public spaces including parks and gardens and large items from domestic kerbside collections.
- Treatment of exempt waste includes:
- clean earth and waste water;
- road planings for some prescribed regional councils until June 2022;
- alum sludge until June 2024; and
- fly ash until June 2029.
- Exempt waste applications will be eligible for consideration and approval in relation to the treatment of contaminated earth, hazardous earth, waste disposed to landfill before 1992 and for significant community projects.
- Discounting of 50% for residue waste that achieves the minimum recycling efficiency threshold of 60%.
- Weight measuring criteria for measuring waste or other material other than by a weighbridge.
- Annual payments to local councils are calculated on waste generated from the financial year that is 2 years before the financial year in which the annual payment is made with adjustments for population growth.
- Schedule 1 contains the waste levy rates including levyable waste commencing at $75/tonne.
- Schedule 2 contains the 39 local government areas in the waste levy zone.
- Schedule 3 contains a list of the prescribed recycling activities.
- Schedule 5 contains a list of the application fees for a range of exemptions including end of waste approvals including biosolids and biosecurity waste.
It is understood that with the regulation now made, all application forms, notifications and templates will be published on the levy website as soon as possible. We would encourage you to visit the department's website for further information.
If you wish to discuss this matter please contact, Robert Ferguson, Lead - Public Health and Waste.