Official Publication of the
ISSUE 76 | FEBRUARY 2017
www.insidewaste.com.au
INSIDE 26 The landfill vision 34 Circular Food 37 A tight race to the top
Has C&D fallen off the radar? On July 1, SUEZ will commence a $40M contract in Mackay that includes Mackay Regional Council’s landfill operation. Leachate management at Hogan’s Pocket is known to be a challenge and SUEZ is exploring novel technology to manage leachate. More on this story on page 19 (Credit: Mackay Regional Council)
Is the $45M overhaul as good as it sounds?
PP: 255003/07055
ISSN 1837-5618
FOLLOWING the independent EPA inquiry in March last year, the Victorian government has confirmed its support for all recommendations made - fully for 40, seven in principle, and one in part - and will provide more than $45 million in funding to the regulator over two years for the five-year reform program (details can be found on www. insidewaste.com.au). The Australian Industry (Ai) Group said the proposed reforms were “broadly sensible” but were undermined by initiatives for devolving enforcement and encouraging litigation. “Industry supports the protection of health and the environment, but we need a fair and predictable system to plan around. The government’s response to the EPA Inquiry risks undermining that in two ways,” Ai Group Victorian head Tim Piper said. “The government foreshadows devolving EPA enforcement powers for some matters to local government. Industry would be concerned as this could lead to arbitrary and inconsistent
practices. The EPA is best placed to do its own job and be held responsible for the results. “The risk is evident with the foreshadowed opening of environmental protection to more widespread intervention by third parties with no direct interest in matters under consideration. Excessive third party intervention could turn the separate and otherwise sensible proposal for a general duty of environmental protection into a recipe for crippling ‘lawfare’ against economic development.” Overall, the Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) is “very happy” with the response as well as the money offered to back the reforms and executive officer Andrew Tytherleigh told Inside Waste that the organisation would be watching how the reforms unfold but emphasised that the government’s proposal to devolve enforcement was a trial. “The Department has stressed that this is a trial, devolving to local government is only a pilot and they
were at pains to say this is not set in stone. This is a pilot but it is something that we will watch very closely and with great interest,” Tytherleigh said. Pilot or not, Piper has called on the government to rule out proceeding with devolved enforcement powers or an expansion of third party standing rules. “It should instead concentrate on bedding down the sounder architectural changes recommended by the Inquiry. The general duty is particularly important, and will require substantial consultation and resources to provide workable guidance for interpretation,” Piper said. “The introduction of stronger and more modern governance for the EPA itself and a very competent new skillsbased board will help build greater confidence in its activities. “There is much to modernise about a system designed nearly half a century ago. But the EPA should remain the single responsible authority to enforce the rules.”
NSW has a new Environment Minister, Gabrielle Upton, and it appears the proposed C&D reforms that were meant to be implemented on March 1, have stalled. The reforms go beyond managing C&D waste and will have far reaching impacts on other waste streams, especially with the proposed repeal of the proximity principle. Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA) executive director Tony Khoury said the timing of the ministerial reshuffle is unfortunate for the sector and as Upton has two important portfolios to manage environment and local government she likely has little time to devote to environmental matters in the beginning. “The minister’s office has indicated to me that the matters in the waste sector are of a lower priority than those in the local government sector,” he said. Khoury is calling on the minister to continue pushing ahead with the C&D reforms and to start addressing the “critical issues” the industry is facing. “The C&D changes have been proposed and they’re out for consultation. It would be nice for the government and the minister to give these matters some priority. The commitment was made by Minister Speakman for March 1 and what’s in that document is what we’re asking the new minister for, that they put the resources in place to address these issues,” Khoury said. “The fact that the reforms are stalled means the issues continue on… We just need to keep on to these issues and if we’re not on to them, we’re never going to make acceptable progress.”
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