Official Publication of the
ISSUE 81 | DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018
www.insidewaste.com.au At this year’s Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi, Marina Debris’ Inconvenience Store captured everything you never needed and more materials that littered the beautiful Bondi Beach. (Credit: Jennifer Soo Photography)
INSIDE 14 The industry speaks 18 Can WA get way ahead? 28 Understanding LISA
Reforming C&D
Do we need a product stewardship commissioner?
PP: 255003/07055
ISSN 1837-5618
AS the National Product Stewardship Act is being reviewed, Inside Waste’s Steward of Change columnist, John Gertsakis pondered over whether Australia could benefit from appointing a product stewardship commissioner. “Up to now, we’ve seen various stakeholders argue for regulation, while others advocate voluntary programs. It’s clear either way that engaging and enthusing industry is the key and that’s a compelling reason to look at a product stewardship commissioner,” Gertsakis wrote. The commissioner would be appointed by the federal Environment Minister and operate nationally. He or she would be free to work closely with industry, all levels of
government, research institutions, and the community to achieve better outcomes that are both practical and strategic. “Most importantly, a commissioner would be solution-oriented and work creatively and collaboratively to bring businesses to the table with other stakeholders to develop schemes in product categories currently absent or under-developed… and there are many,” Gertsakis wrote. “A commissioner could drive national efforts on stewardship awareness, smarter design and materials reuse, waste avoidance and resource recovery imperatives yet be unconstrained by the usual MoEM (Meeting of Environment Ministers) processes. Their work would
directly and indirectly supplement existing stewardship activities being undertaken by commonwealth and state jurisdictions.” And we wouldn’t be reinventing the wheel as there is already an example, and a good one as well, of the role with the Department having appointed a threatened species commissioner who has been successful in raising awareness and brokering solutions between the community, the non-profit sector, industry, scientists and all levels of government. We asked readers in an online poll if Australia needed a product stewardship commissioner. 84% said yes and 16% said no.
IT’S been a year-long wait but the NSW EPA’s much anticipated updated minimum standards for managing construction and demolition (C&D) waste and a suite of draft miscellaneous waste reforms are now available for public consultation. The EPA noted that the proposed changes set standards to ensure appropriate management, production and use of materials recovered from construction waste. These changes seek to ensure that waste is appropriately sorted, the quality of recovered materials is maintained, and human health and the environment are protected. Other changes proposed by the EPA relate to: • improving performance at landfills; • improving the handling of asbestos waste; • transported waste deductions; • new operational purpose deductions; • clarifying how the waste contributions are applied at resource recovery facilities; • monitoring of waste at licensed facilities; • waste transport; • changing the land pollution offence changing licensing requirements for a small number of activities clarifying resource recovery exemptions; • providing for the issue of penalty notices for certain offences; and • updating references to local government areas. The EPA has also flagged its intention to repeal the proximity principle and offered minor clarifications to the matter in which deductions from the waste levy are claimed. Consultation closes on December 12. More on page 15.