Environment Protection (Waste to Resources) Policy

1. Environment Protection (Waste to Resources)Policy TIANA NAIRN November 08

2. Proposed Waste to Resources EPP • Will support and expand the regulatory framework to assist in achieving SA’s Strategic Plan and SA’s Waste Strategy’s waste targets

3. Key outcomes • Improve resource recovery and reduce disposal to landfill. • Environmental benefits. • Minimise or eliminate the environmental risk of waste management. • Broaden the responsibility for waste management amongst stakeholders. • Create opportunities for industry sectors to work with the EPA to achieve certainty regarding expected behaviours. • Consistency and transparency in the assessment of waste management and resource recovery activities.

4. EPP features • Material declared to be waste • Waste management objective • Unlawful disposal of waste • Resource recovery prior to disposal to landfill • Prohibited landfill wastes (ie landfill bans) • Waste transport obligations • Unlicensed activities involving listed wastes • Medical waste • Management of HCBs, OCPs and PCBs • Codes of practice • Design, construction and operational standards

5. Waste management objective • To achieve sustainable waste management by applying the waste management hierarchy consistently with the principles of ecologically sustainable development. • Waste management should also: • Promote best practice and accountability • Include effective recording, monitoring and reporting systems • Promote environmental responsibility and involvement in waste avoidance, minimisation and management within the community

6. Unlawful disposal of waste • Only a limited range of options will be acceptable for the disposal of waste. • In all other cases, disposal will be unlawful. • ‘Disposal’ is defined broadly to enable capture of inappropriate stockpiling also. • The clause is structured so that it can capture anyone in the disposal chain as appropriate – land owners or occupiers, transporters, others who have caused the disposal of the waste.

7. Resource recovery prior to landfill • From 2 years after EPP commences, waste from Metro Adelaide (with some exceptions) must be subject to resource recovery prior to disposal at landfill. • Otherwise, a landfill disposal certificate must be issued specifying that the waste is: • residual waste from an appropriate resource recovery process; or • waste (that was aggregated for resource recovery) that is not in a condition suitable for reasonably available resource recovery processes. • Mandatory provisions apply to all causing the disposal of the waste and landfill operators.

8. Prohibited landfill wastes • Mandatory provisions are proposed for the disposal of banned wastes and the receipt of such wastes at landfill. • Propose staged bans to enable recovery infrastructure to develop as appropriate. • Banned wastes may be disposed of to landfill with a disposal certificate for aggregated waste for recovery that is not in a condition suitable for reasonably available resource recovery processes. • Exemptions are possible without public consultation.

9. Project progress After consultation has been undertaken: • the Authority prepares a response to submissions and makes the response available for inspection; • Authority reports to the Minister on the EPP; • Minister may approve the EPP (with or without amendments); • Governor may then declare the EPP to be authorised by notice in the Gazette. • EPP is laid before both Houses of Parliament. The EPP may be disallowed or ERD Committee may recommend amendments.