Legislative changes to waste in WA
With the drive to net zero and reducing emissions to the environment, we are seeing new and amended waste legislation, guidelines and policies being implemented in Western Australia. Increasing landfill levies, phase out of single-use plastics and a ban on electronic waste to landfill being a few. The State Government is also seeking to expand the scope of the Container Deposit Scheme to include additional beverage containers like spirit bottles.
The landfill levy is applied to every tonne of waste entering metropolitan landfills and is in addition to landfill gate fees, collection and transportation fees that are charged to businesses. The levy has remained at $70 per tonne for putrescible (general) waste for the past five years but from 1 July 2024 will increase to $85 per tonne. Encycle is aware that further increases are being considered beyond 2024 as part of the review of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Strategy 2030. Your waste collection service provider will likely pass on the costs to your business so check your contracts and be prepared for higher waste disposal fees. Businesses need to be aware that providers may increase costs beyond covering the additional levy so it is important to request a breakdown of any cost increases.
The legislative measures around single use plastics and Container Deposit Schemes (CDS or Containers for Change) are designed to reduce litter and litter impacts on the environment and wildlife. However, in the case of single-use plastics, businesses need to get informed about where and how it makes sense to replace single-use with compostable packaging. Businesses also need to get assurances from their suppliers that compostable packaging fully breaks down and is compliant with relevant state legislation for disposal to organics recycling. While some compostable packaging will fully breakdown in the natural environment, other’s may only partially breakdown, still resulting in pollution and a threat to wildlife.
Compostable packaging cannot be disposed in the recycling bin as it causes contamination, it must be placed in a bin for organic materials such as food waste. It’s critical for café’s and other food businesses selling coffee, beverages and food in single-use compostable packaging that the recycling infrastructure is in place to capture compostable packaging.
Some composting facilities in Perth do not accept compostable packaging and there is no clear direction from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation on its disposal and recycling pathway. It is recommended that businesses fully understand where their compostable packaging is ending up and ensure it’s not ending up in landfill, only to contribute to greenhouse gases as it breaks down. Encycle can assist businesses review their waste and recycling systems, including any transitions to compostable packaging as well as help businesses to meet changing legislation without causing unintended poorer environmental outcomes. For example, a reuse system may work better and perhaps waste can be avoided in the first place.
Western Australia’s ‘Plan for Plastics’, stage 2, has been in place since February 2023. The items that will be phased out between 1 September 2023 and 1 July 2025 by a ban on sale and supply, include coffee cups/lids, expanded polystyrene and degradable plastics.
The WA State Government has committed to a ban on electronic (e-waste) disposal to landfill by July 2024. E-waste includes all electrical appliances and electronic devices with a plug and can range from large appliances such as fridges, to solar panels, computers, and smaller items such as toys and batteries.
Encycle were commissioned by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to undertake a material flow analysis on e-waste in the state where we projected that over 613 kilo tonnes of e-waste would be generated between 2020 and 2030 and that a significant amount of it would be sent to landfill.
Businesses need to know how much e-waste they generate, how it is being handled from a data security perspective and how much the ban to landfill will cost them. It is critical that businesses engage with credible waste service providers in this space who can provide verifiable data destruction technology and traceable recycling pathways of component e-waste parts. Encycle has been in business since 2008 and works with good waste service providers who can provide transparency and reporting for ESG on e-waste and other waste streams. We undertake third-party data verification audits on behalf of our clients.
Looking further into the future, banning organic (food) waste to landfill is on the horizon, with NSW introducing a requirement for large food waste generating businesses such as supermarkets and hospitality businesses to separate food waste for collection by 2025.
Disposal to landfill should always be the last resort and the legislative changes coming into play now and into the future will make it harder and more expensive to choose this as an option. Rather than wait for bans, businesses should already be implementing measures to reduce waste to landfill in order to save money. After all, waste disposal costs are only the tip of the ice-berg; the cost to purchase the product being thrown away is likely to be far more.