EPA - Waste Regulation Reforms Update

EPA – Waste Regulation Reforms 2015

Under the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014, a number of changes have taken place and continue to unfold.

1 March – the generation of more than 10 tonnes of waste from the metropolitan levy area and transported outside of NSW will require monitoring via the existing EPA online waste tracking system.

1 July – transportation of asbestos loads will be assigned a unique consignment code to allow the EPA to monitor the load from the site of generation to ultimate disposal.

1 August – scheduled waste facility operators will hold a ‘waste levy liability’ when the waste is received at the facility and occupiers of licensed landfills will be required to report to the EPA on the type and amount of waste received and disposed (even when not required to pay the levy).

Scheduled facility operators will have to pay the waste levy where the waste is:

·         Stockpiled on site for more than 12 months (unless it has been processed to a standard required by a resource recovery order);

·         Stockpiled above lawful limits; or

·         Transported for unlawful disposal.

The objectives behind these reforms were to:

·         Remove the incentive to stockpile;

·         Illegally dump non-recyclable wastes; and

·         Shift the levy liability from landfill gate to recycling gate.

 

The Principal of G&B Lawyers, Kim Glassborow is a specialist planning & environmental lawyer who has spent years dealing with various different government agencies (EPA, local councils & Department of Planning & Infrastructure) and has a wealth of experience in the NSW waste management sector.

 

She presently advises many waste recycling companies on their legislative compliance and work, health and safety issues.

Kim advises developers and industry on issues relating to town planning, contaminated land, hazardous materials, environmental licensing, waste management and regulation, supply chain compliance and pollution incidents.

Kim also assists clients to obtain development and environmental licences and approvals, manage on-going environmental compliance, environmental incidents and all aspects of Land and Environmental Court litigation.

Kim has been retained by the Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association of NSW to provide specialist legal advice to its members. 

She is regarded as a leading expert in waste law and has practical experience having worked in-house for a large recycling / landfilling Sydney company.

 

 

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Mail: GPO Box 1849, Sydney, NSW 2001

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