WMAA addresses committee on Qld waste levy

The CEO of the Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA), Gayle Sloan, today represented industry in a public hearing on Queensland’s Waste Reduction and Recycling (Waste Levy) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, held in Ipswich.

The WMAA is supportive of the state government’s plan to reintroduce the landfill levy as it creates an economic incentive to divert waste from landfill — one that is very much needed, according to Sloan, who said that Queensland is “one of the poorest diverters of waste from landfill in Australia, currently diverting only 48% from landfill”.

Speaking at the hearing, Sloan said that while a landfill levy is not a silver bullet, it is certainly a proven economic tool that should be used as part of a suite of government instruments and levers.

“It’s not the total solution and can’t fix our throwaway society by itself, but it is one cog in a strategic waste strategy that Queensland needs and is developing with the recently released Transforming Queensland’s Recycling and Waste Industry directions paper,” Sloan said.

Sloan emphasised that the Bill will allow Queensland to catch up with the rest of Australia and the developed world in moving towards a circular economy, which will have numerous positive impacts on the state’s economic, environmental and social health.

“We must move rapidly away from a linear approach to managing waste and support the waste management hierarchy,” she said. “Queensland can do this by supporting industry to deliver the prescribed outcomes by creating certain regulatory and policy settings, and ensuring the investment of levy monies in the waste and resource recovery industry and community.

“We strongly believe that this industry will be the next resources boom for Queensland, creating jobs and investment that have not previously been viable due to the lack of a levy and a strong plan for Queensland.”

The WMAA is particularly pleased to see that the Queensland Government is on the same page, with Sloan noting, “The Queensland levy regime has more incentives and discounts to incentivise the use of recycled material than any other regime in Australia. This is a clear attempt to incentivise the use of these materials in manufacturing and make these competitive with virgin material, for which the Queensland Government must be congratulated.”

WMAA is now urging the government to consider recommendations raised by industry ahead of the levy rollout to ensure the opportunities that will arise from a landfill levy are fully maximised. Sloan said, “Queensland needs to think about a whole-of-government approach to our essential industry, including using levy funding to replicate the approach to market development taken by both Victoria and SA, with market development agencies such as Sustainability Victoria and Green Industries SA.

“We cannot simply regulate our way to success; we need to develop markets and demand for recycled product in Queensland.”

The WMAA also highlighted several areas that should be addressed before the Act is adopted, including the $5 million ‘levy readiness’ grant funding, which WMAA wants extended to all industry participants.

“The challenges in meeting the 4 March 2019 levy start date, including infrastructure upgrades and fee changes, are not unique to local government,” said Sloan. “This funding should be offered on a 100% basis to all; we need to end the days of a two-speed economy in Queensland.

“Any adjustment to the levy should also occur in line with financial year and not calendar year to avoid duplication of resources.”

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Andreas Kermann