On behalf of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Hunter JO sought feedback from our Member Councils on the potential impact and implications of the EPA’s proposed Waste Levy exemption for household quantities of Asbestos at landfills.

The EPA is consulting on the proposed threshold (500kg) for the levy waiver, as well as the implementation mechanisms for Councils to implement and operationalise the exemption management at its waste management facilities. The consultation proposes to use Waste Locate to track and report packets of asbestos material being processed at the weighbridge. Only separated, bonded and wrapped materials are proposed to be eligible under this scheme.

The aim of the levy waiver is to remove barriers to the responsible disposal of household quantities of Asbestos material. Member Council feedback was collated and passed onto EPA representatives.

Feedback across Member Councils was consistent and key concerns included:

• Potential impact on landfill planning if there was a resulted uptick in waste volume
• Lead in times for adjusting fees and charges
• Potential disruption at the weighbridge due to loading and weighing individual packets

As such, it was recommended that the Waste Levy was implemented via a 12 month roll out, with support from the EPA Communications team, so councils can ensure an aligned approach.

Find out more about our WARR program HERE.