Central Highlands have made the following decision in the Council Meeting of Tuesday 23rd February 2021

15.2 DRAFT WASTE RESOURCE RECOVERY BILL 2021 UPDATE

Moved: Clr J Honner Seconded: Clr R Cassidy

THAT Council review the attached documents and send any comments to Council’s Environmental Health Officer, Beverley Armstrong, by the 6th March 2021 for inclusion in the LGAT response.

CARRIED

FOR the Motion: Mayor L Triffitt, Deputy Mayor J Allwright, Clr A Archer, Clr A W Bailey, Clr S Bowden, Clr A Campbell, Clr R Cassidy, Clr J Honner and Clr J Poore.

Moved: Clr A Archer Seconded: Clr R Cassidy

THAT Council reiterate their position that has been continually putting forward being Council are not supportive of paying a waste levy and transporting waste when Council have provided their own provisions that will last 100 years.

CARRIED

FOR the Motion: Mayor L Triffitt, Deputy Mayor J Allwright, Clr A Archer, Clr A W Bailey, Clr S Bowden, Clr A Campbell, Clr R Cassidy, Clr J Honner and Clr J Poore.

Submission 1

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HUON VALLEY COUNCIL SUBMISSION

Draft Waste and Resource Recovery Bill and Introduction of a Waste Levy

The Council supports introduction of a waste levy to act as a lever to reduce waste to landfill and increase resource recovery. This is also supported on the basis that the levy model reinvests the monies within waste and resource recovery with legislated and transparent controls in place for how the levy is spent.

The Government’s approach to introduce the levy in steps is also supported to balance the financial impact to businesses and households with the benefits of reinvesting the levy monies.

The decision to progress with a split governance model has also been supported strongly by LGAT through the Minister’s Waste Advisory Group and is also strongly supported by the Council. The creation of the Board to progress the waste strategy and waste minimisation and resource recovery measures frees the EPA to undertake their role in general environmental management policy and enforcement.

Overall the Draft Bill is supported and there are no comments to be made from a technical or drafting perspective with the Bill.

Some clarity however does need to be provided in relation to how the Draft Bill will operate in practice and the cost to Councils in having to put measures in place to ensure accurate recording of materials deposited. This is also necessary to assess the weight of waste that has been collected from illegal activities such as dumping as this is exempt from the levy and needs to be properly accounted for prior to disposal.

The Government is therefore requested to support the funding of the purchase of a weighbridge and/or providing certainty of conversion of volume to weight to accurately apply the proportion of levy to waste deposited at a waste transfer station.

Whilst the Draft Bill is considered to be strong on transparency, it does fall short on the transparent requirements for a landfill operator when imposing the levy on those depositing waste. This could lead to allegations of price gouging. It is therefore considered that there should be some provision in relation to how the levy is imposed and shown on invoices similar to the manner in which the amount of GST is shown on invoices.

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The Council otherwise supports the Draft Bill, introduction of a waste levy and measures that are proposed.

2

Should you wish to discuss the matters raised in this submission, please contact our adviser

Rachael Wilkinson on .

Sincerely yours,

Louise McGrath

Head of Industry Development and Policy

326 Macquarie Street, Hobart Tasmania 7000 I PH: (03) 6146 3740 I Email: reception@lgat.tas.gov.au I www.lgat.tas.gov.au

Our Ref: DL/MF

11 March 2021

By email: wis.enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Dear Sir or Madam

STWMG Waste Levy Submission

The Southern Tasmania Waste Management Group (STWMG) comprises the 12 southern

regional councils of Tasmania. The STWMG was formed via a Memorandum of

Understanding in early 2020, with it also being agreed that the Local Government

Association of Tasmania would provide secretariat services. The STWMG has been

progressing several goals, including strategic management of regional waste streams,

promotion and development of a circular economy, and advocating partnerships with

other regions, governments, and industry to promote resource recovery ambitions.

In recent years, there have been significant developments in waste policy and the resource

recovery sector in Australia. These issues stem from problems faced Australia-wide and

are impacting how governments need to address these issues – this is no exemption for

Tasmania. Resource recovery initiatives are a part of a broader picture in addressing our

waste issues and requires a strategic and considered approach.

In 2019, the Tasmanian State Government released its Draft Waste Action Plan which

proposed several mechanisms to deliver on waste and resource recovery. The Draft Waste

Action Plan proposed the implementation of a statewide waste levy which is currently

projected to be introduced in November 2021. The waste levy aims to provide financial

mechanisms to support resource recovery through the application of additional costs to

landfills and also targeted investment of the funds collected in resource recovery activities.

The STWMG welcome the introduction of a statewide waste levy by the State Government

as this will bring Tasmania into line with other Australian jurisdict ions and will contribute

positively towards resource recovery efforts. However, the STWMG are concerned with

the State Government’s current timeframe for accomplishing the implementation of the

waste levy. The STWMG state that the current timeframe is too short as this does not

provide Local Governments in the southern region with enough time to facilitate the

changes necessary to apply the levy to council operations and kerbside waste collection.

Councils in the southern region are developing their budgets for 2021 / 22 financial year

now. However, the final details of the waste levy required for council budgeting purposes

Submission 5

Submission 6 - Confidential

P.O. Box 393

Burnie Tas 7320

Phone: 03 6419 4122

Mobile: Email:

Website: www.tasminerals.com.au

Dear Sir or Madam,

RE: Consultation on Waste Resource Recovery Bill 2021

The Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing and Energy Council (TMEC) welcomes the opportunity afforded it to provide

feedback on the draft Waste Resource Recovery Bill 2021.

TMEC represents the state’s minerals, manufacturing and energy industries and provides leadership, effective issues management and cooperative action on behalf of its members. Our mission is to promote the development of sustainable exploration, mining, industrial processing and manufacturing sectors which add value to the Tasmanian people and communities.

TMEC’s membership base represents an important wealth creating sector within the Tasmanian economy. Minerals exports alone account for 55% of Tasmania’s commercial exports and is the foundation stone of many regional communities with 5,600 direct jobs.

TMEC, as an industry body, has a strategic objective to promote the adoption of circular economy principles by our members. Therefore, TMEC is committed and supportive of measures which enable and incentivise businesses to bring further attention to this concept. The starting point is to consider measures to eliminate the generation of waste in the first instance, then to develop the ability to recycle or transform it into a product which serves a productive purpose.

TMEC is also acutely aware of future opportunities afforded by changes in technology and material science advances, which sees a product at the end of its life or historical manufactured waste reprocessed to create a useful product. Some TMEC member sites currently have no alternative other than to stockpile these waste products until it is economically viable to reprocess them. Reprocessing of printer cartridges and rubber tyres (some sizes) are two examples of a manufactured waste which can be reprocessed and serve a further useful purpose.

Residual aggregate which is separated from the desired ore and stored on the Approved Mining Lease or an associated entity should not be considered within the scope of this Bill. Similarly, clean fill which is used in the rehabilitation of minerals sites should also be outside of the scope of this Bill.

Placement of tailings as approved by the mining license and EPA should continue to be exempt. The definition of “operator” in the draft Bill is a “person who holds approval, permit or licence that allows an operator to operate a landfill facility” which would apply to a mine operation EPN / Permit. Section 4 meaning of “landfill facility” would also apply to tailings / waste rock.

11 March 2021

The Program Manager (Waste Initiatives) Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment GPO Box 1550 HOBART TAS 7001

Via email: wis.enquiries@dpipwe.tas.gov.au

Submission 8

Don Thwaites

11/3/2021

Policy and Business Branch

DPIPWE

Submission to the Waste and Resource Recovery Bill 2021.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation for this bill. I have a keen interest in waste management.

• 16 years as Councillor for Kentish Council, 11 years as Mayor and presently serving asDeputy Mayor for the last 2 years.

• 15 years as Owner Representative for Dulverton Waste Management, an award winningwaste management authority established by Devonport, Ulverstone (now Central Coast),Latrobe and Kentish Councils.

• Contributor to the Hyder report into a Container Deposit System for Tasmania in 2009.• Observer on the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group for last 4 years.• 3 years volunteering for The Hub, a local op-shop.• Member of Mt Roland Rivercare Catchment Inc.• 30+ years as roadside warrior, cleaning roadsides with and without participation in KAB

programs.

Firstly I commend the State Government for this initiative, which many would say is well overdue. I am very pleased that all funds from the Waste Levy will be used for waste management purposes.

The Board. I question the need for a Board, with my thinking that the role of the Board could be undertaken by an advisory group to the EPA, with specialists as required from Local Government, Industry, and the waste industry. This would surely be less expensive to maintain.

As an example the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group determined the distribution of the NW voluntary waste levy to many waste stream diversion programs, recycling, education, illegal dumping collection and prevention, as well as transfer station upgrades. The funds were managed by Dulverton Waste Management with minimal overheads, and decisions on programs and initiatives were made by Local Government Environmental Health Officers and Engineering staff.

If the Board were to be established as planned, my suggestion would be that Board costs and Directors fees are kept to an absolute minimum.

Illegal Dumping. Kentish Council presently offers free access to ratepayers at the Sheffield Transfer Station, with the only item charged a fee being tyres. The decision to structure waste funding this way was made in response to a large amount of illegal dumping along roadsides and especially in secluded bush and forestry areas. This dumping has brought with it not only waste in bushland but introduced many shocking weed infestations from dumped soil.

Submission 10

While I understand the waste levy is designed to exert pressure to divert streams of waste from landfill (instead being recycled or repurposed in some manner) I am deeply concerned that the levy will in many cases simply divert waste from landfill centres to bush areas. Reduced landfill waste tonnage figures may look good on paper but on the ground there is no way to measure the damage done or the tonnages dumped illegally.

Kentish ratepayers love the free access at the transfer station, and it is something they will find hard to surrender. However popular, the free access policy does not incentivise diversion of waste from landfill, so at some stage I expect Kentish Council will review the policy and introduce a fee system.

I have grave concerns that illegal dumping in bush and forestry land and along roadsides will escalate rapidly following the introduction of the levy. Massive preventative programs, monitoring, education and funding of clean-ups must accompany the new bill.

Rebates for Charitable Organisations. I note the conditions for included organisations are stringent. My wife and I both volunteer many hours each week for The Hub Inc, a local recycling op-shop that accepts donations of clothing, furniture, electrical goods etc. Overheads are minimal and the entire funding raised is returned to the community via the committee of management. Last year $92,000 was donated. Sporting clubs, emergency management groups, the local nursing home, RSL and many more benefitted.

Goods donated are checked, cleaned in many instances, and sold back to the public. However many goods donated are simply not suitable for resale, and are unable to be recycled as rags, metal, e-waste, cardboard, etc. The only option is to send them to landfill. At present access to the Kentish waste transfer station is free as above, but this arrangement is on borrowed time. The Waste and Resource Recovery Bill 2021 allows arrangements for charitable organisations to be exempt from the levy.

However The Hub Inc is not a charitable organisation according to the Waste and Resource Recovery Bill 2021. It meets the first two requirements collecting public donations for reselling and being established solely for charitable purposes and is not for profit. It is also an incorporated body and as such it appears eligible under section 5 of the Collections for Charities Act 2001, but would need legal advice to confirm this. But it is not a deductible gift recipient under the Income tax assessment Act.

I question the need for the latter requirement to meet the purposes of the Bill. I acknowledge there are many op-shops that do fit these requirements, but these are large operations with many shops, some paid staff, and are sufficient size to gain approval from ATO.

I do not believe it to be fair that The Hub Inc should pay a levy on donated goods which end up sent to landfill as they are unable to be recycled or sold. At least the Regulations should list The Hub Inc and similar organisations as exempt from this levy.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Don Thwaites

11/3/21