Waste–Everyone’s responsibility
Draft Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy (2014–2024)
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Citation
EHP. 2014. Waste—everybody’s responsibility: Draft Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy (2014–2024). Brisbane:
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection Government.
April 2014
#30417
ii
Industry foreword:
Waste Avoidance and
Resource Productivity
Steering Committee
We the stakeholders—generators, local government,
resource recovery and waste industries, peak industry
bodies, non-government organisations and academia—were
afforded the opportunity to author the Draft Queensland
Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy.
We thank the Queensland Government for this opportunity
to develop a sound industry-driven strategy which reflects
the fact that improved resource and waste management
technologies and practices, along with changes in
culture and behaviours, present a wide range of business
opportunities for all Queenslanders. These include
economic development, innovation, increased productivity
and employment opportunities. Effective implementation
will in turn drive significant improved financial, social and
environmental outcomes for Queensland.
Industry members of the Waste Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy Steering Committee
• Queensland Tourism Industry Council
• Queensland Resources Council
• Queensland Master Builders Association
• Queensland Farmers’ Federation
• Australian Council of Recycling
• Waste, Recycling Industry Association (Queensland)
• Waste Management Association of Australia
• Queensland Conservation Council
• Keep Queensland Beautiful
• Academia
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland
• Australian Industry Group
• Local Government Association of Queensland
• Brisbane City Council
iii
Message from the Director-General
Many of you will be aware that at this time the Queensland Government is working with the
community to finalise The Queensland Plan: a 30-year vision for Queensland which outlines
bold targets to lead Queensland into the future. In developing the plan, Queenslanders
have made it clear that balancing environmental protection and economic development in
Queensland is a high priority. One of the proposed ways to measure our progress in this
area is by addressing our rate of waste generation and this waste strategy will be the key to
achieving this goal.
This draft strategy provides strategic direction for waste and resource management in
Queensland over the next 10 years.
This consultation draft represents an industry-led approach to waste and resource
management in Queensland. It has been prepared as a collaborative partnership between
the waste and resource recovery, business and industry, agriculture, resources, construction,
tourism, local and state government, academia and environment sectors.
I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all the Steering Committee members and
congratulate the representatives from these sectors in bringing together this draft for
consultation. In bringing together a diverse range of sectors—from generators to the waste
industry, local government and environment and community groups—there will always be
many different views to reconcile. I believe the direction in this draft strategy represents a
good balance of these views.
Once the draft strategy is finalised, the next challenge will be implementation. Queensland’s
size, regional populations and distances pose unique challenges, as do issues such as
international fluctuations in the price of recovered commodities. Importantly, however, the
objectives and targets of the strategy will only succeed if we can unlock more of the value in
the materials that have traditionally been considered to be waste.
We are seeking your comments on the directions and goals of this draft strategy. I look forward
to receiving your feedback, and working with you to implement improved management of waste
and resources in Queensland.
Good waste management practices help protect the environment, underpin community health
and well-being and contribute significantly to the economy. Inefficient waste and resource
management represents lost business opportunities for waste generators and for the waste
and resource recovery sector. By working together we can help achieve our vision of becoming
a leader in innovative waste management and resource recovery.
Jonathan (Jon) PC Black
Director-General
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
Have your say
We welcome your feedback on this draft strategy. Please provide any feedback by Friday 30 May 2014 to
[email protected]. A feedback form is included at Appendix 3 to assist with the provision of comments, or email
[email protected] for an electronic version.
A draft review report on the current strategy, Queensland’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Efficiency Strategy 2010–2020,
is included as Appendix 4. These findings have informed development of the new draft strategy. In commenting on the
draft strategy you may also wish to comment on the draft review report. Please send comments by Friday 30 May 2014 to
[email protected].
All submissions will be published on the department’s website. Please advise of any commercial in confidence issues at the
time of submission.
iv
Contents
The strategy at a glance.....................................................................................................................vi
1. Why do we need a waste strategy? ...............................................................................................2
The upside ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2
The downside ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Key challenges for business ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Key challenges for the waste and resource recovery industry . ......................................................................................... 3
Key challenges for regional Queensland.......................................................................................................................... 3
2. A new vision and direction............................................................................................................6
An industry-led waste strategy for Queensland . .............................................................................................................. 6
What can we achieve together?........................................................................................................................................ 6
3. Opportunities and priorities..........................................................................................................9
Opportunities and priorities for households..................................................................................................................... 9
Opportunities and priorities for business ........................................................................................................................ 9
Opportunities for the waste management and resource recovery sector..........................................................................10
Regional opportunities and priorities.............................................................................................................................. 11
New technologies and practices..................................................................................................................................... 11
Extending national action on management of problem waste..........................................................................................12
Queensland’s priority waste...........................................................................................................................................13
4. How will we get there? .................................................................................................................14
Action plans . .................................................................................................................................................................14
Roles and responsibilities...............................................................................................................................................14
Implementation roadmap of priority areas......................................................................................................................15
5. How will progress be measured?...................................................................................................16
Targets and measures.....................................................................................................................................................16
Strategy review...............................................................................................................................................................16
Reporting and data ........................................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 1: Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy Steering Committee.....................18
Appendix 2: National waste policy and product take-back schemes....................................................19
National collaboration ...................................................................................................................................................19
Product stewardship.......................................................................................................................................................19
Appendix 3: Have your say.................................................................................................................21
Feedback on Draft Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy (2014–2024)................................21
Feedback on the Draft review report (Appendix 4).......................................................................................................... 24
Appendix 4: Draft review report on current strategy...........................................................................25
Endnotes............................................................................................................................................34
v
The strategy at a glance
The Draft Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy (2014–2024) sets out the many
challenges and opportunities ahead for Queensland as
we lift our performance in waste avoidance and recovery.
Queensland industry has taken the lead on this new
strategy. This industry-led approach has fostered a strong
focus on shared responsibility for improving Queensland’s
waste performance. In this strategy, ‘industry’ includes
the waste sector, general business and industry, local
government and community stakeholders.
This 10-year strategy covers waste from all sectors,
including household, agricultural, and industrial waste,
and solid and liquid regulated (hazardous) waste.
The framework (Figure 1) shows how the strategy’s
vision, principles, objectives, priorities and action
plans fit together.
The strategy’s vision: Queensland will become a
national leader in avoiding unnecessary consumption
and waste generation, adopting innovative resource
recovery approaches, and managing all products and
materials as valuable and finite resources.
The strategy is underpinned by five guiding principles:
1. Protecting human health and the environment to
secure our future prosperity.
2. Sharing responsibility for avoiding unnecessary
consumption and improving resource management.
3. Recognising of the economic, environmental and
social costs of waste generation and disposal.
4. Recognising of regional differences and opportunities.
5. Full lifecycle management of resources.
The strategy is also informed by the waste and resource
management hierarchy, which sets out an order of
preference for options for managing waste— from avoiding,
to re-using, recovering, treating and disposing of waste.
Taken together, the principles and hierarchy help shape
the objectives and priorities and in turn inform the
development of plans for implementing the strategy.
vi
The strategy has four objectives:
Objective 1—Driving cultural change: All stakeholders
recognise their role in meeting the vision of the
waste strategy, and are informed and empowered to
participate in achieving its goals and objectives.
Objective 2—Avoidance and minimisation: Queensland
will realise all opportunities (environmental, economic
and social) from maximising sustainable consumption
and production.
Objective 3—Reuse, recovery and recycling: Queensland
will optimise economic benefits from reuse, recovery
and recycling.
Objective 4—Management, treatment and disposal:
Queensland will reduce the impact of waste on human
health and the environment through improved waste
management practices.
The strategy identifies priority areas for action under
each objective and sets targets for improving resource
recovery and recycling rates and reducing landfill
disposal. These targets take account of the different
circumstances and opportunities in metropolitan and
other parts of the state.
The strategy will be implemented through action plans
that may be developed at a sectoral or individual entity
level and will complement the objectives and priorities of
the strategy. Specific or sectoral targets within the plans
will help contribute towards achieving the state wide
targets. Implementation of the strategy will be regularly
monitored and reported on.
Figure 1: Strategy framework
Waste—Everyone’s responsibility
Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy (2014–2024)
Vision
Queensland will become a national leader in avoiding unnecessary consumption and waste generation, adopting
innovative resource recovery approaches, and managing all products and materials as valuable and finite resources.
Key principles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Protecting human health and the environment to secure our future prosperity.
Sharing responsibility for avoiding unnecessary consumption and improving resource management.
Recognising of the economic, environmental and social costs of waste generation and disposal.
Recognising of regional differences and opportunities.
Full lifecycle management of resources.
Objectives
Driving cultural change
All stakeholders recognise
their role in meeting
the vision of the waste
strategy, and are informed
and empowered to
participate in achieving its
goals and objectives
Avoidance and
minimisation
Reuse, recovery
and recycling
Management, treatment
and disposal
Queensland will realise
all opportunities
(environmental, economic
and social) from maximising
sustainable consumption
and production
Queensland will optimise
economic benefits from
reuse, recovery
and recycling
Queensland will reduce
the impact of waste
on human health
and the environment
through improved waste
management practices
Awareness and
communication
Building on awareness
through education/training
Industrial ecology
and planning
Appropriate regulation
and compliance
Education/training
Avoidable consumption
e.g. green procurement
Improved data to highlight
business opportunities
Production efficiency and
cost savings to business
Fostering regional
collaborations and
partnerships
Mitigate adverse effects
of wrongful disposal
and management
Roles and responsibilities
for driving change
Partnerships, networks
and programs
Appropriate regulation
and enforcement
Sustainable design
Infrastructure and
innovation
Research and Development
Market development and
appropriate incentives
Research and Development
Recycled-content products
Litter and illegal dumping
Disaster waste
management
Infrastructure and planning
Technology and innovation
Full cost accounting
of all disposal
Product stewardship
Appropriate compliance
and regulations
Priorities
Action plans
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
Action plan
KPI
KPI
KPI
1
1. Why do we need a waste strategy?
Queensland has some great
waste and resource recovery
success stories, but there are
significant opportunities
still to be realised.
Changing patterns of
consumption, economic
change, and population
growth mean that we need
to re-think our approach to
managing waste and resource
recovery. On current trends
in population growth, waste
generation and disposal
from everyday business
and domestic activities is
expected to increase to more
than 11 million tonnes by
2026 (Figure 2).
A new state waste strategy
can provide a coordinated
direction that will help
position Queensland as a
leader in sustainable waste
management and resource
recovery—to build on our
successes and to capture the
opportunities that improved
practices provide to the
Queensland economy.
Figure 2: Current and projected future waste generation
Recycling (tonnes)
Disposal (tonnes)
4.6m
Popula
tion
growth
6.0m
5.0m
(45%)
3.8m
(45%)
6.2m
4.7m
(55%)
(55%)
2013
Year
2026
The upside
The downside
In many ways, Queenslanders are managing waste well.
Overall, Queensland disposes of more—and recycles less—
than other states and territories 4.
For example, Queenslanders have embraced kerbside
recycling and packaging recycling rates, while already high,
are improving every year 1.
Queensland businesses and households have also been
eager to support new schemes set up to deal with the
growing amounts of end-of-life consumer electronics, as
evidenced by the number of televisions and computers
passing through collection points since the start of the
national product stewardship scheme in 2012.
Studies show that most of us want to do the right thing and
we place high value on improving our recycling and litter
management 2. This desire is evident in the popularity of
Queensland’s public reporting system for littering from vehicles,
which receives a high volume of eyewitness reports on littering.
Many businesses also consider environmental issues and
sustainability as very important parts of their corporate identity
and community reputation 3.
Queensland businesses are proven innovators and this
extends to waste and resource management. For example,
Queensland leads the way in generating electricity from waste
streams such as bagasse from sugar milling and macadamia
nut shells. Queensland has also commercialised a range of
world-first technologies, such as using scrap tyres to make an
explosive media for the mining sector, replacing diesel.
2
As our population grows, and resource consumption
increases, the total amount of waste we generate is also
rising 5.. While we are getting better at recycling some waste,
the total impact of waste on our environment will continue to
grow (see Figure 2).
Valuable resources are lost when potentially recyclable waste
is disposed of to landfill. A recent Australian Government
report into commercial and industrial waste found that the
value of the materials in commercial and industrial waste
(including energy and water) is estimated at more than
$26.5 billion per year 6. This equates to around $5.5 billion of
potentially lost value to the Queensland economy.
It is estimated that Australians dispose of $5.2 billion of
food waste each year. Queenslanders are throwing out the
greatest amount of food waste per person of any Australian
state—the average household is disposing of $678 worth of
food waste each year 7.
We are also one of the worst performers among the mainland
states for littering, a major concern for a state that derives so
much from our international recognition as a tourist destination 8.
Key challenges for business
The Queensland business community has a major stake
in balancing environmental sustainability with economic
prosperity, and is driven by a sense of community obligation
and businesses’ own needs to participate in environmental
management and sustainability programs.
However, Queensland’s small and medium-sized businesses
often lack the time, resources, and expertise in the waste
industry to find the most beneficial waste solutions.
A Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland survey
in 2010 9 highlighted how difficult it can be for businesses
to determine the volume, nature and cost of the waste they
create. Businesses then face the challenge of finding ways
to re-think the flow of materials into their business, avoid
generating waste, and choosing cost-effective recovery
solutions. The survey revealed that 86% of surveyed
Queensland businesses regarded waste management as an
inflexible cost. These barriers block businesses’ access to
opportunities to reduce waste management costs and benefit
from new market prospects.
Key challenges for the waste
and resource recovery industry
The resource recovery industry is dealing with a dynamic mix
of opportunities and challenges.
With an expanding economy, material recovery increases
year-by-year coupled with a growing awareness of the value
of these resources. Effective management of those resources
requires innovative solutions at all stages, from extraction of
virgin resources to manufacturing, generation of waste, storage,
transport, recovery, recycling, treatment and finally disposal.
Waste and resource management is a significant part of
Queensland’s economy. The sector employs thousands
of Queenslanders and has state investments exceeding
$2.5 billion 10.
At the same time, there are real challenges to investment for
the sector, from the difficulty of locating and gaining approval
for infrastructure, to the quality and acceptance of recycled
products in the marketplace.
The local sector is significantly influenced by international
trends affecting commodity prices for recovered materials 11.
Rapid economic growth in some countries has created an
enormous demand for raw materials and caused overseas
commodity prices to exceed those on the domestic market.
Queensland is fortunate in having state-of-the-art facilities
for sustainably recovering and safely disposing of waste.
But there are also many ageing, out-of-date landfills, and
resource recovery facilities are lacking in regional areas.
Industry has identified the need for consistent, strong
regulation to provide certainty and incentives for investment.
The industry is acting to build capacity within the waste and
resource recovery sector, through job creation and up-skilling
of the existing workforce, but more can be done.
Key challenges for
regional Queensland
Queensland’s large size, combined with a significant
proportion of the population being located in decentralised
coastal communities, and vast areas of low population inland,
presents logistical challenges. Three million of Queensland’s
4.7 million people live in the south-east corner which only
covers 1.3% of the state.
Regional and remote areas face the additional challenges
of longer distances and higher costs for collecting and
transporting recyclable waste to reprocessing facilities,
as well as a lack of markets for locally recycled products.
In comparison, South East Queensland benefits from the
collection efficiencies that come from a larger and denser
population base, with better access to resource recovery
facilities. Understandably recycling rates for most waste
streams are highest in the south-east and in the larger
regional—mostly coastal—centres 12.
This means that the waste that can reasonably be considered
‘recyclable’ differs across the state and recycling targets must
be attuned to the regional circumstances.
Regional areas are also affected by waste from agricultural,
mining and resource sector activities. In some areas large
seasonal volumes of agricultural plastic mulch and trickle
tape, or growing volumes of waste from mining worker
accommodation and construction, pose challenges for
regional landfills.
Waste generation also often increases faster than services
and infrastructure can be established, leading to an overload
on existing facilities. Population growth in regional areas also
brings an expectation for the same services that are provided
in metropolitan areas.
However, at the same time development of domestic
infrastructure may be inhibited. Recycling of some materials
offers marginal returns making it difficult for local operators to
compete against disposal or in some cases overseas markets.
The export of hazardous waste to poorly managed overseas
facilities is also a concern. The challenge is finding a balance
between local investment and overseas solutions, retaining
flexibility to respond to changes in the marketplace in order to
future proof the industry.
3
Snapshot: waste disposal and recovery in Queensland
• Queensland produced almost 8.5 million tonnes of ‘general’ waste from everyday household, business and
construction activities during 2012–13. Of this waste:
>> 3.8 million tonnes, or 45% was recovered—consisting of approximately one million tonnes each of domestic or
municipal solid waste (MSW) and general business waste (commercial and industrial or C&I), and 1.7 million
tonnes of construction and demolition waste (C&D)
>> 61% of construction waste was recycled, compared to 33% of domestic and 42% of business waste
>> The remaining 4.7 million tonnes of general waste was disposed to landfill.
Figure 3: Amounts of general waste recovered and disposed in Queensland 2012–13 (tonnes)
tonnes
3,000,000
2,500,000
33%
2,000,000
42%
61%
1,500,000
1,000,000
Recovery
67%
500,000
0
Domestic
58%
Business
Disposal
39%
Construction
• A further 14.9 million tonnes was reported as being generated in 2012–13 by heavy industrial activity such as power
generation, mining and manufacturing. Waste from activities such as mining and agriculture are generally managed
on-site, and not all of this data is captured in government reporting. It should be noted that:
>> 4.6 million tonnes is ash from power generation and other industrial processes
>> this figure also includes hazardous waste from processes such as building demolition, sewage processing,
galvanising, health care and food processing
>> not all this waste can be recycled—for example asbestos waste from building demolition needs to be safely
transported and disposed to landfill
>> under Queensland law, the movements of hazardous waste such as asbestos are tracked. Of the waste
tracked in 2012–13: 341,000 tonnes went to disposal, 16,000 tonnes to energy recovery, and 564,000 tonnes
to material recovery 13.
These figures are based on annual data reported to the government. For more information on waste and recycling, the
methodology of collecting and analysing data, and the limitations of the data-set see the report State of Waste and
Recycling in Queensland 2012–13 at www.ehp.qld.gov/waste.
4
The impacts of waste: costs and benefits
The impacts of waste range from litter degrading the environment, to the loss of potentially recyclable material, and
emissions of greenhouse gas and other pollutants from landfill. The true cost of waste generation and disposal includes
these sorts of environmental impacts, as well as costs to business and the community.
Litter
The impact of litter and illegal dumping on the environment is a serious issue that causes great community concern
and is a considerable cost to government and local councils. Local governments reported that in 2012-13 they managed
14,500 tonnes of litter and illegally dumped waste at a cost of over $11 million14 (not all collect this data).
Litter has the potential to enter waterways, which is of particular significance to Queensland, with our long coast line
and the Great Barrier Reef. Plastic litter can have a significant impact in the marine environment where it is often eaten
by turtles, sea birds and other marine animals 15.
Lost resource value
Valuable resources are lost when potentially recyclable waste goes to landfill.
A recent Australian Government report into commercial and industrial waste found that the total cost of waste services
to business nationally is around $2.2 billion per year, of which $1.4 billion is spent on waste disposal.
Additionally, the value of the input materials into commercial and industrial waste (including energy and water) is
estimated at more than $26.5 billion per year 16. This represents a major cost to business and, at the same time, a lost
business opportunity to the resource recovery sector.
Cost of disposal
Landfills are expensive to establish and operate. Rehabilitation and closure at the end of a landfill’s life is also a major
cost to the community. Finding appropriate sites for new facilities is difficult in the face of community scrutiny.
Modern, well designed landfills are a necessary part of waste management systems, protecting human health and the
environment by safely containing residual waste. The best of the larger disposal facilities can also capture the energy
from decomposing waste to power homes and businesses.
In contrast, older tips can pose a hazard due to historically lower standards of landfill design and practice. This is a
legacy faced nationally and internationally. Poorly managed disposal presents risks to the community and environment
through emission of gases or leachates into air or water, odour, noise, dust, litter, or by the spread of disease-bearing
pests such as mosquitoes.
Costs of recycling
Even waste recovered for recycling leaves an environmental footprint when we consider the original raw material
extraction and processing, product manufacture, transport, collection for recovery and recycling 17.
The economic cost of recycling also needs to be considered. Recyclables are dependent on commodities markets and
revenue from sales cannot be guaranteed to offset the costs of collection, recovery and disposal of residuals.
Many materials are considered ‘recyclable’ in the sense that viable collection and recycling infrastructure is in place in major
metropolitan areas, and markets exist for the recycled product. But the cost of recycling the same material from a regional or
remote location may be considerably higher due to smaller volumes and longer distances to reprocessing facilities.
Benefits of recycling
The total impact of waste is complex and is closely connected to the consumption of other resources, such as water and
energy that goes into in the goods we use. This means that there are multiple benefits and efficiencies from ‘closing the
loop’ and keeping waste materials in the economy for as long as possible.
For example, recycled concrete products have a 65% lower carbon footprint than products made from virgin material. In
Queensland, recycling of waste concrete avoids the extraction of millions of tonnes of virgin material from diminishing
resources. Further, the lower density of recycled concrete and asphalt, compared to traditional non-recycled equivalents,
results in up to 16% more product per tonne delivered. This reduces the number of truck loads and saves on carbon
emissions and project costs.
There are also benefits to be gained from recovering and recycling resources in terms of employment. Re-use and
recycling requires a mix of high and low-tech jobs, from the design and operation of sophisticated optical glass-sorting
machinery, to community recycling initiatives for the unemployed or workers with disabilities.
5
2. A new vision and direction
This strategy will be an effective tool for change if government, industries, communities and the waste industry recognise
its timely call to action.
An industry-led waste strategy Strategy principles
for Queensland
The strategy is underpinned by a set of principles which guide
This 10-year strategy covers waste from all sectors including
household, agricultural, and industrial waste, and solid and
liquid regulated (hazardous) waste.
Queensland industry has taken the lead in developing
this new strategy. The strategy’s Steering Committee has
representatives from the waste and resource recovery,
agriculture, resources, construction, tourism, local and state
governments, academia and environment sectors (Appendix 1).
This industry-led approach has fostered a strong focus on
shared responsibility for waste. We all produce waste, and we
all make decisions about how waste is managed. An example
of the effectiveness of a partnership approach is the way
community, governments and industry all work together to
reduce the amount and impacts of litter across the state.
This strategy shows how Queensland can improve its waste
and resource management performance though targeted and
collaborative action, delivered through partnerships.
What can we achieve together?
Strategy vision
The vision tells the story of what can be achieved if the
strategy is fully embraced and delivered:
Queensland will become a national leader in avoiding
unnecessary consumption and waste generation, adopting
innovative resource recovery approaches, and managing all
products and materials as valuable and finite resources.
the approach to goal-setting and decision-making.
Principle 1: Protecting human health and the environment to
secure our future prosperity.
Good management of resources is a benefit to our society,
economy and environment.
Principle 2: Sharing responsibility for avoiding unnecessary
consumption and improving resource management.
Shared responsibility and commitment from those involved in
selling, buying, using and disposing of products and material
streams. This principle requires all parties to account for the
environmental costs and impacts associated with goods and
materials throughout their life-cycles. This principle aligns
with Queensland’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011
which holds that those who generate waste should retain
responsibility for its management.
Principle 3: Recognising of the economic, environmental and
social costs of waste generation and disposal.
The true cost of waste must take into account the negative
economic, environmental and social costs to government,
business and the community. Costs include the impact of waste
on the environment and human health, declining landfill space
close to major population centres, the rising costs of virgin
materials and the loss of valuable resources, increasing transport
costs, and the large number of landfills that will require
re-mediation at great cost to the community and governments.
Principle 4: Recognising of regional differences
and opportunities.
Queensland’s geographic, demographic, socioeconomic,
environmental and health differences all require consideration.
This principle recognises that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is
impractical, given the divergence of circumstance across the
state, and that local solutions are best fit.
Strategic regional collaborations can effectively maximise the
benefits from shared services, infrastructure and expertise
to deliver viable, accessible and sustainable local resource
recovery solutions. This principle also recognises that local
solutions create local jobs and minimise the impact of
transport of waste and resources.
Principle 5: Full lifecycle management of resources.
We reach our goal when we draw the most sustainable
benefit from the waste that are generated and keep the
material circulating in the economy for as long as possible.
This principle aims to preserve the ongoing value of material
streams by ensuring the waste by-products from one process
are channelled into another.
6
The waste and resource
management hierarchy
Strategy objectives
The strategy is also informed by the waste and resource
management hierarchy (Figure 4), which sets out an order of
preference for options for managing waste—from avoiding, to
re-using, recovering, treating and disposing of waste.
The waste and resource management hierarchy is a tool
to help decision makers tackle waste avoidance through
reduced consumption and improved material management.
Where avoidance is not possible, waste materials should be
reused, recycled or recovered, or used as a source of energy.
As a final resort, waste should be disposed of safely in a
licensed landfill.
The hierarchy does not apply in all circumstances and must
be carefully balanced against strategy principles. For example,
the recycling of green waste into compost or mulch that meets
Australian standards may be a more beneficial use of the
resource than the direct re-use of green waste as mulch.
The key objectives by which we will achieve the strategy’s
vision are:
Objective 1—Driving cultural change: All stakeholders
recognise their role in meeting the vision of the waste
strategy, and are informed and empowered to participate in
achieving its goals and objectives.
Objective 2—Avoidance and minimisation: Queensland will
realise all opportunities (environmental, economic and social)
from maximising sustainable consumption and production.
Objective 3—Reuse, recovery and recycling: Queensland will
optimise economic benefits from reuse, recovery and recycling.
Objective 4—Management, treatment and disposal: Queensland
will reduce the impact of waste on human health and the
environment through improved waste management practices.
For further information on the priority areas for action under
each objective refer to Section 4.
Also, we must also recognise the point at which the law of
diminishing returns applies to efforts to increase recycling
rates towards full recovery. The optimal recovery rate for a
particular waste stream or product is a combination of many
factors such as the community’s willingness to pay, the
relative impacts of disposal versus recovery, the distance to
recycling facilities, and the value of recovered material. For
example, the economic and environmental costs of transport
may lead to the local recycling of waste glass from regional
areas into road-base, rather than transport to Brisbane for
recycling into new glass products.
Taken together, the principles and hierarchy shape the
objectives and priorities and in turn inform the development
of action plans for implementing the strategy.
Figure 4: The waste and resource
management hierarchy
Most preferable
Avoid or reduce
Re-use
Recycle
Recover energy
Treat
Dispose
Least preferable
7
Targets
There are many challenges and opportunities ahead for
Queensland as we lift our performance in waste avoidance
and recovery. The strategy’s targets (Table 1) take account,
where practicable, of the different circumstances and
opportunities in metropolitan and non-metropolitan
parts of the state.
As the disposal and recovery of municipal solid waste can
be tracked by area, the targets for this waste are set for
zones which reflect the geography of waste management
in Queensland. Targets are set for the metropolitan area
and regional centres, while remote areas are to maximise
diversion to the extent practically achievable.
• Metropolitan: covers local government areas within South
East Queensland. The majority of reprocessing and export
facilities are located here and most waste generators are
within 50km of a processing point.
• Regional centres: covers Darling Downs-Maranoa,
Wide Bay, Fitzroy, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns regions.
These are coastal regions with significant urban centres
with populations over 30,000. Waste generators in these
regions typically have access to regional recovery facilities
and most council landfills have weighbridges.
Statewide targets apply to the general commercial and
construction waste streams. No regional targets are set for
non-municipal waste at this stage, as data on private sector
resource recovery activities is not provided on a regional
basis. For these waste streams, a future area of work under
the strategy will be to gather data and set targets for priority
materials within the waste streams. Similarly, targets may
be developed for individual priority waste within the heavy
industrial waste stream. In some cases, targets under
national recovery schemes already apply, for example,
televisions and computers, and used packaging.
As well as targets for improving recovery, the strategy also sets
a target for reducing the generation of waste in the first place.
This is an ambitious target given that waste generation is
aligned to consumption and wealth, which are generally
rising. However, one of the strategy’s objectives is to avoid and
minimise waste and this needs to be monitored. Also, there are
recognised measures that can reduce waste generation, such as
cutting excess packaging, campaigning against food waste, and
finding production efficiencies in manufacturing or construction.
Individual targeted action plans under the strategy will
complement and align with the targets (Section 4).
• Remote areas: covers remote areas with small populations
without large urban centres. There are large distances
between most waste generators and recovery facilities,
and few council landfills have weighbridges.
Table 1: Targets
Waste stream
Municipal solid waste
(domestic)
Measure
Improved recycling rate
2012–13
recovery baseline18
2024 target
37% metropolitan
55% metropolitan
30% regional centre
45% regional centre
33% state
50% state
Commercial and
industrial waste
Improved recycling rate
42% state
55% state
Construction and
demolition waste
Improved recycling rate
61% state
80% state
Reduce generation of waste
Reduction in per
capita generation
1.9 tonnes general waste
per person per year
Reduce by 5% to 1.8 tonnes
per person per year
Questions for Section 2
8
2.1
Does the vision express where we want to be?
2.2
Are these the right targets/measures for the strategy?
3. Opportunities and priorities
Queensland has, through commercial and technical solutions, opportunities to cut costs to business and the community, and
turn waste into a more valuable resource base.
By closing the loop and using resources more efficiently, we can reduce our footprint on the environment as well as benefitting
from the creation of jobs in the resource recovery industry, boosting productivity and fostering industries across the state.
To achieve this, our industries, government and communities need to work together to implement clever, efficient and
profitable waste avoidance, minimisation and recovery systems.
Opportunities and priorities
for households
Opportunities and priorities
for business
In large part, household waste is already very well managed.
Business waste is more complex and varied than household
waste, and a far larger proportion of the total waste stream
(see Figure 3). Queensland stands to make the most gains by
focussing on these sectors, and capitalising on the unrealised
business opportunities of recovering waste and turning it into
useful products while generating jobs for Queensland.
For example, packaging forms a major part of household
waste. Since kerbside recycling was introduced in Queensland
in 1992, households have embraced the ability to recycle the
packaging from products they purchase. In 2012–13, 84%
of Queensland households had yellow-top recycling bins,
through which 305,000 tonnes of packaging and paper was
recycled19. In addition, householders can also recycle through
local government bulky waste kerbside collection programs
or recycling facilities at landfills and transfer stations. Some
local governments also offer garden or green waste kerbside
collection services—33% of household waste is recovered
through these schemes.
For households, the next big step lies in recycling organic
waste. Nearly half the content of household rubbish bins is
organic waste20. While some Queensland households already
compost garden or kitchen waste, many don’t.
To make improvements in the domestic sphere, the priority
in this strategy is to focus on organic waste by educating
householders about: waste avoidance, embracing emerging
opportunities for domestic green waste kerbside collections,
and stimulating food waste collection both at, and away from,
home. These recovered materials can feed into composting
businesses, or plants employing new technologies to recover
materials and energy from the waste.
Of the 8.5 million tonnes of waste generated in Queensland
in 2012–13 from everyday household and business activities,
two thirds came from the business and construction sectors.
In addition large volumes of waste are generated by heavy
industrial activity.
This strategy focuses on identifying the most important
issues and waste streams for action. It also finds
opportunities for waste efficiencies and green branding for
Queensland’s four economic pillars—resources, tourism,
agriculture and construction—and the broader economy.
Of the $2.2 billion per year spent on waste services
by Australian businesses, the sectors with the highest
waste disposal costs are manufacturing, retail trade,
accommodation and food services21. These sectors also have
the greatest potential to profit from action to reduce waste.
Each business has unique operating circumstances and
waste requirements. By identifying waste inefficiencies and
opportunities, and building partnerships between suppliers,
retailers and government, there is potential to deliver
substantial savings for Queensland businesses.
Savings in all business sectors can be made by avoiding
or minimising materials that will eventually become waste.
Further, by treating waste as a valuable resource, materials
and resources will continue circulating within the broader
economy—generating jobs and profits—rather than moving
straight through the system towards disposal (Figure 5).
Queensland’s ecoBiz eco-efficiency program is designed to help
business and in particular small to medium enterprise to cut
waste and inefficiency. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Queensland is delivering this program with government support
in metropolitan and regional areas of the state.
Government can also support business by removing barriers
to re-use of waste, for example by redefining waste as
resources or products rather than low-value waste.
9
Figure 5: The cycle/economy of waste
Raw
material
inputs
Manufacturing
Products
Consumption
Farming
Compost
Recovery
Power
generation
Sorting
(optional)
Energy from
waste
Recycle
Waste
Products
Inputs
Waste
Recyclable
waste
Landfill
Opportunities for the waste
management and resource
recovery sector
The strategy also highlights the intent that resources and
opportunities should be kept in the state for the benefit of
Queenslanders and local communities.
Taking this approach will boost opportunities for the waste
management and resource recovery industry, as well as
other business services such as repairing, reprocessing and
remanufacturing. It will also support local jobs and economies.
We can do this by supporting efforts to ‘close the loop’ in
Queensland and recover the materials or energy currently
contained in our waste streams. Closing the loop means
changing our thinking from being an inefficient ‘one time use
of materials’ economy to a more efficient ‘circular’ economy
that recovers and recycles the materials and energy embedded
within the products we consume and the by-products of our
industries. This approach keeps resources, energy, and flowon employment benefits in Queensland (Figure 5).
10
To develop the new approaches and facilities needed to
lift resource recovery across Queensland, industry needs
certainty that barriers to investment will be addressed.
By reviewing the waste management regulatory framework,
we can identify ways to maximise resource recovery while
at the same time achieving protection of the environment.
A streamlined regulatory framework will help stimulate
research, innovation and investment. Consistent compliance
and enforcement is also essential to allow industry to operate
on a level playing field.
Good data is also a crucial asset to drive industry
investment, assisting the resource recovery sector to
identify potential material flows and new business
opportunities. Recycling efficiency by material stream can
also be used as an indicator of industry performance.
Regional opportunities
and priorities
New technologies
and practices
We can tailor waste policy and actions to fit the challenges and
opportunities for regional Queensland. This has the potential
to broaden Queensland’s economic base and generate
business and employment opportunities by creating regional
reprocessing industries and markets for recovered materials.
Landfill will continue to play a central role as a mainstay
solution for disposing of residual waste, noting the need
to invest in world-class disposal facilities that minimise
environmental impact and maximise resource recovery.
Queensland’s size and decentralised population
means that the cost of managing and recovering waste in
South East Queensland is very different from the far north.
Population, demographics, social and economic differences
across the state mean a differentiated approach is necessary
to ensure recovery targets are achievable and do not apply a
‘one size fits all’ approach that places unnecessary burdens
on regional areas.
We have an opportunity in Queensland to improve access to
recycling facilities for business and industry, especially in
regional areas. This may involve collaborations for recycling
between small and medium businesses to share resources
and reduce costs. In other areas, efforts may be better
targeted towards waste avoidance and the local reuse
of by-products rather than recycling through facilities
located in major centres.
Improved data that can highlight the flow of materials on
a regional basis is an important factor in targeting actions.
For example, mining and construction and associated
manufacturing are the leading sources of employment in the
Mackay region22. Correspondingly the quantities of commercial
and construction waste being generated and disposed are
high relative to domestic waste and are likely to contain a
high proportion of hazardous or regulated waste. In contrast,
Far North Queensland disposes a similar overall total of
commercial waste, but the makeup of this waste reflects the
importance of tourism and retail to the region’s economy23.
Queensland will also pursue innovative technologies and
systems that reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill
and reduce our reliance on landfill as an easy solution.
Increasingly, there are new and cost-effective alternative
waste treatment and resource recovery technologies such as
anaerobic digestion that offer new business and investment
opportunities as well as opportunities for reducing the overall
costs of waste for the community.
A significant opportunity for Queensland is generating value
from waste streams that cannot viably be recycled by using them
to generate electricity or alternative fuels. Already, Queensland
leads Australia in deriving energy from waste, with more than
450 megawatts of installed capacity using bagasse (an
agricultural waste from sugarcane), landfill gas, and biogas
from manure, meat processing waste and sewage treatment.
Other areas of opportunity include innovative recycling of
waste materials, integrated resource and energy recovery
systems, enhanced use of IT systems for logging, tracking
and measuring waste, and material recovery using new
thermal or bio-based processes. Queensland’s Science and
Innovation Action Plan provides a framework for research
and development activities and aims to develop and deliver
enhanced production technologies, tools and practices to
help grow productivity, reduce waste and add value to our
four pillar sectors24.
Priority areas for waste management and resource
recovery include:
• providing policy direction and investment certainty for
alternative waste treatment and energy recovery businesses
• supporting research, development, deployment and
extension activities
• facilitating collaborations
• removing regulatory barriers to new technologies
• leveraging Australian Government programs
• sharing knowledge and data.
11
Extending national action on management of problem wastes
Sustainable waste and resource management is not just a Queensland concern; it is also a national concern. Many of the
wastes that are proving to be a challenge in Queensland are nationwide issues that attract considerable community attention
and concern. The Australian Government has the lead role in responding to international waste management obligations, through
such arrangements as the Basel Convention (to control the international movements of hazardous waste and their disposal)
and the Stockholm Convention (for the management of persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs or dioxins) (Figure 6).
In addition to this lead role there has also been a high degree of collaboration across Australian jurisdictions on an ambitious
national waste agenda. The National Waste Policy—Less Waste, More Resources represents a new age in waste management
nationally and sets Australia’s waste management direction to 2020.
The increasing number of new products on the market and the increasing volume of products being disposed have led to growing
interest in the end-of-life management of these products. In 2011 the Australian Government introduced the Product Stewardship
Act 2011 in order to provide a framework to allow the product stewards to take responsibility for the appropriate management of the
products they place on the market.
To paint the picture, it is likely the next 10 years could see an array of national product stewardship schemes covering a broader range
of electrical and electronic waste beyond the current television and computer scheme, and consumables (such as used paint and
handheld batteries). This will be in addition to the existing national schemes for used oil, tyres, televisions and computers, packaging
and other waste. See Appendix 2 for more on national product take-back schemes.
The momentum behind national initiatives will see major progress in key areas within the time horizon of this state strategy.
This allows Queensland’s strategy to concentrate on initiatives that extend and complement the national work, and focus on
local priorities through adoption of a range of tools that are available to us.
This includes the ability to introduce state-based product stewardship schemes or landfill bans, to improve the management of
particular priority wastes. However, under Queensland law, such schemes can only be considered where justified as the best
option through a rigorous process of analysis and public consultation, and in the absence of national action. Other measures
that may be a best fit for a problem waste include education and awareness-raising, partnerships to deliver research or market
development programs, or redefining a particular waste as a resource for a beneficial reuse.
Figure 6: State and national work on waste
International treaties
Managing hazardous waste
National Waste Policy
National priority waste,
product stewardship laws and
programs, national management
of hazardous waste
Queensland Waste
Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy
Environmental Protection Act 1994
Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011
Queensland Government policies
• Licensing
• Beneficial use approvals
• Procurement policies
• General environmental duty
• Waste planning and reporting
• Recycling policies
• Priority product management
• Litter
12
Queensland’s priority wastes
There are also problem wastes particularly impacting
on Queensland.
Under Queensland’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011,
priority wastes are those with high disposal impacts (such as
toxicity or greenhouse gas emissions), social impacts (such
as community concern or amenity), or whose recovery would
present resource savings or business opportunities.
From feedback during development of this draft strategy,
priorities for Queensland may include:
• waste that has regional impacts such as agricultural
plastic waste, mining waste, or orphan agricultural and
veterinary chemicals
• hard to handle waste such as mattresses
• organic waste from households, restaurants and food
processing businesses
• high-volume waste with an existing resource value such as
concrete from building demolition
• developing complementary measures for national product
stewardship schemes for hazardous waste such as
fluorescent lights, used tyres or used oil.
Action plans under the strategy (Section 4) will need to
address improved management of any relevant priority
wastes, as well as key waste generated or handled by the
sector that have potential for improvement.
Questions for Section 3
3.1
Are there key opportunities that have not been highlighted yet?
3.2 Have the highest priority problem waste for Queensland been identified?
13
4. How will we get there?
This section sets out the basics of achieving the strategy’s vision and objectives.
Action plans
Roles and responsibilities
The high-level directions and outcomes for the future of waste
and resource management in Queensland in this strategy
will need to be realised through action plans that detail how
the objectives will be achieved. Figure 1 shows how this new,
innovative framework provides a clear line-of-sight from the
strategy’s vision and goals, through to what will be achieved
by the action plans.
Action plans will be developed by the Queensland
Government and by industry sectors or peak bodies and
organisations that sign up to play a role in delivering the
vision, objectives and targets of the strategy. Government
will provide support for development of action plans, and
both parties will champion the commitment publicly.
Action plans will include:
• form an agreement between the sector/organisation
and the government on what will be done to contribute
towards achieving the strategy’s objectives and targets
• target alignment: specific sectoral/organisation targets,
and how the action plan will deliver against the strategy’s
over-arching targets
• priority waste alignment: a focus on key waste generated
or handled by the sector that have potential for
improvement, as well as how the action plan addresses
relevant ‘priority waste’ identified in the strategy or by
consultation processes under the strategy
• tailored commitments: identified actions against the
priority areas under each objective in the implementation
roadmap (Table 2)—relevant to the organisation’s size,
role, activities, and location
• goals and milestones: delivery dates for the commitments
• performance measures: how a sector/organisation
can measure progress towards achieving its stated
commitments and goals.
Each action plan would adopt the strategy headline target
that is applicable to the sector/organisation, supported by
customised actions. The plans will be tailored to meet the
specific needs of the sector or waste stream, and will include
specific targets.
Action plans can also put more detail around priority waste
specific to the sector. For example, action plans may include:
• targets and measures for specific materials within waste
streams, such as office paper within commercial waste,
trickle tape within agricultural waste, or organics within
municipal or commercial waste
• regional targets for some materials, for example materials
such as concrete within the construction and demolition
waste stream that are managed locally
• for business and industry, upstream resource productivity
measures to cut the generation of waste.
14
The action plans:
• outline the roles and responsibilities of the government
and the sector/organisation
• detail how a sector/organisation will measure and
publically report against its commitments.
State government departments, along with local
governments and major generators of clinical waste, are
already required by the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act
2011 to have strategic waste reduction and recycling plans.
The Queensland Government’s action plan under the strategy
will look more broadly, beyond improved management of the
waste it generates, to take a whole-of-government approach
to implementation of the strategy.
Implementation roadmap of priority areas
Each of the strategy’s four objectives hosts a cluster of priority areas. These can guide the development of action plans under
the strategy (Table 2).
Table 2: Objectives and priority areas
Objectives
Priority areas
Objective 1
• awareness and communication, including using data to create awareness
Driving cultural change: All stakeholders
recognise their role in meeting the vision of
the waste strategy, and are informed and
empowered to participate in achieving its
goals and objectives
• education/training
Objective 2
• building on awareness through education/training
Avoidance and minimisation: Queensland
will realise all opportunities (environmental,
economic and social) from maximising
sustainable consumption and production
• addressing avoidable consumption e.g. through green
procurement/shopping
• identifying roles and responsibilities for driving change
• development of partnerships, networks and programs focused on
behavioural change
• appropriate regulation and enforcement
• production efficiency and cost savings to business
• product stewardship—minimise material use and toxic content
• research into technologies and practices for waste avoidance
Objective 3
• industrial ecology and planning
Reuse, recovery and recycling: Queensland
will optimise economic benefits from reuse,
recovery and recycling
• improved data to highlight business opportunities
• foster regional collaboration and industry-government partnerships to
find local solutions
• infrastructure and innovation, including alternative waste technologies
and energy from waste
• market development and appropriate incentives
• design for recovery
• research, development, deployment and extension
• recycled-content products and procurement
• identify priority waste for further action
• appropriate regulation and compliance
Objective 4
• appropriate regulation and compliance for managing liquid and solid waste
Management, treatment and disposal:
Queensland will reduce the impact of waste on
human health and the environment through
improved waste management practices
• avoid/minimise adverse effects of wrongful waste disposal and management
• litter and illegal dumping
• better management of waste generated by man-made and natural disasters
• infrastructure and planning in metropolitan and regional areas
• technology and innovation
• full cost accounting of all disposal including impacts or externalities
Questions for Section 4
4.1
Have the correct priority areas for each objective been identified?
4.2
Are there additional tools that can be employed to effectively minimise waste and maximise resource productivity?
15
5. How will progress be measured?
How we will monitor and review the strategy.
Targets and measures
Reporting and data
The strategy sets out the high level targets, whether
statewide or regional, to address environmental or economic
development opportunities (Section 2).
Following the three-yearly reviews, the Queensland
Government must publish a review report for public comment.
As a result, the strategy may be amended or replaced.
Action plans will contain measures and targets for specific
sectors/organisations and types of waste.
Sectors/organisations will need to report publically on the
progress of their action plans under the strategy.
Strategy review
The Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 requires the
state strategy to be reviewed every three years through
public consultation.
The review includes monitoring what has been achieved in
relation to the strategy’s objectives and targets.
Also, the government is required under the Waste Reduction
and Recycling Act 2011 to publish annual figures on the
amounts of waste being landfilled and recovered in
Queensland. The report also includes information about key
aspects of waste management such as the status of local and
state government strategic waste planning, and amounts of
litter and illegal dumping.
To successfully plan and manage waste reduction in
Queensland, good data is required to shape the best waste
strategy and policies and to provide certainty to investors.
Accurate data provides a strong foundation for business and
policy decisions about waste management. Improved data
would also help local governments and the waste industry to
identify material flows and commercial opportunities to treat
and recover waste. In terms of the strategy, data is crucial
for identifying realistic targets, and the starting point against
which improvements are benchmarked.
Mandatory waste and resource recovery reporting was
introduced in 2011. Building on this, a new Queensland
Waste Data System is being developed to broaden the
capture of information and improve reporting on waste
disposal and recovery trends. It will also support and
strengthen online engagement with regional clients, expand
online collection to include a greater variety of stakeholders,
and set a baseline from which to build capability and
performance standards for different sectors of the waste
industry, and industry as a whole.
Questions for Section 5
5.1
16
What are the needs for data collection and reporting?
Appendices
17
Appendix 1: Waste Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy Steering Committee
Tony Roberts (Chair) Deputy Director-General
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
representing the Queensland Government
Daniel Gschwind
Chief Executive
Queensland Tourism Industry Council
representing the tourism sector
Lee Coulthard
Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor Origin Energy
Queensland Resources Council
representing the resources sector
Paul Bidwell
Director Housing Policy
Queensland Master Builders Association
representing the construction sector
Dan Galligan
Chief Executive Officer
Queensland Farmers’ Federation
representing the agriculture sector
Grant Musgrove
Director of Partnerships, Policy and Projects
Australian Council of Recycling
representing the resource recovery sector
Rick Ralph
Chief Executive Officer
Waste Recycling Industry Association (Queensland)
representing the waste management sector
Val Southam
Chief Executive Officer
Waste Management Association of Australia
representing the waste management sector
Toby Hutcheon
Executive Director
Queensland Conservation Council
representing the environment sector
David Curtin
Chief Executive Officer
Keep Queensland Beautiful
representing the community sector
David Moy
Professorial Lecturer Post Graduate Environment Management Program
Central Queensland University
representing academia
Nick Behrens
General Manager
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland
representing the business sector
Jemina Dunn
Director—Queensland
Australian Industry Group
representing the industry sector
Greg Hoffman
General Manager Advocacy Local Government Association of Queensland
representing the local government sector
Arron Lee
Manager Waste Services Branch
Brisbane City Council
representing the local government sector
18
Appendix 2: National waste policy and product
take-back schemes
National collaboration
Product stewardship
The aims of the National Waste Policy—Less Waste, More
Resources are to:
Beyond national action on a number of broad fronts, such
as alignment of waste definitions, regulation and education,
there are two other prominent components to the national
push on waste reduction and management. These are the
product stewardship initiative and the Australian Packaging
Covenant—a co-regulatory arrangement for minimising and
recovering packaging waste.
• avoid the generation of waste, reduce the amount of waste
(including hazardous waste) for disposal
• manage waste as a resource
• ensure that waste treatment, disposal, recovery and re-use
is undertaken in a safe, scientific and environmentally
sound manner
• contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,
energy conservation and production, water efficiency and
the productivity of the land.
The policy contains 16 strategies and sets out the role of
relevant jurisdictions, including the Australian Government.
Within the policy framework, Australian Government
leadership is identified for several strategic areas, including:
• product stewardship framework legislation
• adoption of a system that aligns with international
approaches to reduce hazardous substances in products
and articles sold in Australia.
Collaboration between jurisdictions is also identified as
necessary for other areas, including:
• better packaging management
• national definition and classification system for waste
(including hazardous and clinical waste) that aligns with
international conventions and has provision for items that
have ceased to be classed as waste
• national principles, specifications, best practice
guidelines and standards to remove impediments to
effective markets for potential waste.
In 2011 the Australian Government introduced the Product
Stewardship Act 2011. This Act provides the framework for the
development of voluntary, co-regulatory or mandatory product
stewardship arrangements for particular end-of-life products.
Although a number of voluntary industry-led stewardship
arrangements have been in place for several years—such
as the MobileMuster scheme for mobile phones and
DrumMuster for agricultural and veterinary chemical
containers—the Product Stewardship Act 2011 has formalised
the national approach to product stewardship underpinned
by legislation.
Processes under this Act will enable the progressive
identification of priority end-of-life products and the
development and implementation of ‘take-back’ schemes for
these products over coming years.
The Australian Packaging Covenant is a prominent example
of a co-regulatory product stewardship scheme, in which
voluntary industry action is backed up by government
regulation of free-riders. The scheme covers all types of
packaging, including consumer and distribution packaging,
and involves all sectors, from manufacturers to retailers,
recyclers and consumers.
The Australian Packaging Covenant focuses on both on
minimising packaging through design and packaging
recovery, and has been highly successful. From inception in
1999, the Covenant has increased the packaging recycling
rate from 39% to almost 64%, and is on track to reach its goal
of 70% of packaging recycling by 2015.
For more detail on national product stewardship schemes see
the text box overleaf.
19
National action: product take-back schemes
Product stewardship schemes have been around for some time in Australia.
Voluntary, industry-led schemes are in place to take back products ranging from agricultural chemicals and drums, to
mobile phones and used tyres. Mandatory or regulated schemes exist for used oil, packaging and e-waste.
Voluntary schemes
ChemClear and drumMUSTER are funded through a levy at point-of-sale in order to keep agricultural and veterinary
chemicals and empty containers out of landfills. These schemes address a long-standing problem for rural industries.
Over the past 15 years, the MobileMuster free industry take-back scheme has collected 7.5 million mobiles and batteries
across Australia.
The Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme, launched in 2014, is a national voluntary scheme funded by a small levy on the
sale of tyres. It is estimated that over 48 million tyres reached the end of life in Australia in 2010, of which only 16% went
to an environmentally sound use such as recycling or sustainable energy recovery. The scheme’s five year target is to
improve this rate three-fold to 50%.
“When end-of-life tyres are put to environmentally sound use they: reduce the demand for virgin materials in the
production of goods and energy; reduce pressure on landfill space and improve the amenity of the land; and reduce the
risk of fire and other health risks” (Guidelines for the Tyre Product Stewardship Scheme)25.
Co-regulatory schemes
Electronic waste is growing three times faster than any other waste stream in Australia26 The National Television and
Computer Recycling Scheme is funded and run by industry, and regulated by the Australian Government. The scheme
started in 2012 and aims to reach a target of 80% recycling by 2021-22. Under the scheme, householders and small
businesses can drop off end-of-life TVs and computers at collection sites or events at no cost.
The Australian Packaging Covenant is an example of a co-regulatory product stewardship scheme, in which voluntary
industry action is backed up by government regulation of ‘free-riders’. This is the most wide-ranging product stewardship
scheme in Australia, covering all types of consumer packaging, and involving all sectors, from manufacturers to retailers,
recyclers and consumers.
The Queensland Government has been a signatory to this national agreement to manage the impacts of consumer
packaging since its foundation in 1999. Industry and government signatories to the Covenant have supported projects
ranging from research to placing recycling bins on train station platforms.
During the lifetime of the Covenant, the recycling rate for packaging has increased from 39% to almost 64%, and is on
track to reach the national target of 70% by 2015.
Mandatory schemes
Since the Product Stewardship for Oil Program started in 2001 the volumes of oil being collected and re-used is steadily
increasing. Inappropriate disposal of oil can have high environmental and health risks. Around 500 million litres of
lubricating oil is sold in Australia each year, and in 2007–08 around 250 million litres were recycled. Under the program
a 5.449 cent per litre levy on new oil provides incentives for the recycling and re-use of oil.
20
Appendix 3: Have your say
We welcome your feedback on this draft strategy. Please return your feedback by Friday 30 May 2014
to [email protected] or to:
Draft waste strategy
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
GPO Box 2454 Brisbane Q 4001
The form below is provided to assist with the provision of comments, or email [email protected] for an electronic version.
All submissions will be published on the department’s website. Please advise of any commercial in confidence issues at the
time of submission.
Feedback on Draft Queensland Waste Avoidance and Resource
Productivity Strategy (2014–2024)
Questions for Section 2
2.1 Does the vision express where we want to be?
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2.2 Are these the right targets/measures for the strategy?
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Questions for Section 3
3.1 Are there key opportunities that have not been highlighted yet?
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3.2 Have the highest priority problem waste for Queensland been identified?
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Questions for Section 4
4.1 Have the correct priority areas for each objective been identified?
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4.2 Are there additional tools that can be employed to effectively minimise waste and maximise resource productivity?
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Questions for Section 5
5.1 What are the needs for data collection and reporting?
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Other comments
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Name:_______________________________________________________________
Sector (select one):
…… individual
For individuals—state of residence:______________________________________
For others—company name:_____________________________________________
…… business and industry
…… waste and resource recovery sector
…… local government
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Feedback on the Draft review report (Appendix 4)
A draft review report on the current strategy—Queensland’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Efficiency Strategy 2010-2020—is
at Appendix 4. These findings have informed development of the new draft strategy. In commenting on the draft strategy you
may also wish to comment on the draft review report.
Comments
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Appendix 4: Draft review report on current strategy
Queensland’s Waste Reduction and
Recycling Strategy 2010-2020
Draft review report
25
Prepared by: Reform and Innovation Branch, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
© State of Queensland, 2014.
The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this
publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence.
Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication in accordance with the licence
terms.
You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source of the publication.
For more information on this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en
iii
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Contents
1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................1
2
Scope.....................................................................................................................................................................1
3
Key elements .........................................................................................................................................................1
3.1
Vision and principles .....................................................................................................................................1
3.2
Goals, targets and priority actions ................................................................................................................2
3.3
Price signal—waste disposal levy.................................................................................................................3
3.4
Legislation .....................................................................................................................................................4
3.5
Programs, actions and partnerships .............................................................................................................5
4
Summary of recommendations.............................................................................................................................. 6
5
Have your say ........................................................................................................................................................6
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1 Introduction
Queensland's Waste Reduction and Recycling Strategy 2010–2020 (2010 strategy) was endorsed by the former
Queensland Government in December 2010. The 2010 strategy was produced in consultation with government,
industry and community stakeholders to provide long-term policy direction and leadership for waste management in
Queensland.
Under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 the Queensland Government is required to review the current
2010 strategy by 28 October 2013.
This review report has been produced to meet the requirements of the Act but can also to help inform the
development of a new, industry-led waste strategy for Queensland. The report outlines the key elements of the
current strategy and evaluates their effectiveness, including achievements and issues raised. It also provides draft
recommendations for consideration.
The content of this report has been informed by more general stakeholder consultation on the waste strategy to
date. This includes feedback from a series of waste forums held in 2012 by the Minister for Environment and
Heritage Protection, Andrew Powell, as well as from engagement with industry to commence development of a new
waste strategy for Queensland.
Your feedback is sought on the draft review report. Please provide your comments to
[email protected]. The submission period will close on 5pm Friday 30 May 2014.
2 Scope
The following key elements of the current strategy were identified for review:
1. Vision and principles.
2. Goals, targets and priority areas.
3. Price signal—waste disposal levy.
4. Stronger legislation.
5. Programs, actions and partnerships.
3 Key elements
3.1 Vision and principles
Background
The 2010 strategy sets out a vision for ‘a low-waste Queensland where resources are used more efficiently and
where disposal is seen as a last—not a first—option’.
The vision and objectives underpin the strategy and set out the main policy direction. The principles were designed
to align with and complement the waste and resource management principles contained in the Waste Reduction
and Recycling Act 2011.
The strategy sets out five key principles to help inform decision-makers when considering waste reduction and
resource recovery options. These are:
Waste hierarchy:
reduce, reuse, recycle, other recovery, treat, dispose
Resource efficiency:
encouraging waste avoidance and recovery
Sustainability:
maximising environmental, social and economic benefits
Engagement:
partnering community, business, industry and government
Capacity building:
facilitating business and industry development.
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Discussion
Initial feedback from key stakeholders to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP)
indicated that:
• Principles should be framed in a way that directly links to actions.
• The waste hierarchy does not sufficiently take into account local and regional circumstances, which may
pose financial and social challenges for implementing the standard hierarchy.
• The vision and principles should present a stronger focus on upstream activities including waste avoidance
and achieving more efficient ways of reusing waste materials.
Recommendations
• Ensure strategy principles link directly to actions.
• In addition to the waste hierarchy principle, ensure social and economic factors are taken into account.
• Incorporate a stronger focus on waste avoidance.
3.2 Goals, targets and priority actions
Background
The 2010 strategy has three goals, to:
• reduce waste
• optimise recovery and recycling
• develop sustainable waste industries and jobs.
The following targets were established in the 2010 strategy to meet these goals:
By 2020:
• Reduce waste disposal to landfill (compared to business-as-usual projections) by 50%.
• Increase recycling of:
o construction and demolition waste to 75%
o commercial and industrial waste to 60%
o regulated (or hazardous) waste to 45%
o municipal (or domestic) solid waste to 65%
• Reduce waste generation by 15%, or 2 tonnes per person per year.
The strategy also identifies certain end-of-life products for priority action. Some of the waste that are targeted for
action are household organic waste and end-of-life products such as packaging waste, tyres, computers and
televisions. The types of actions that the Queensland Government may consider to improve the management of
these priority waste include education programs, improving design to ensure recyclability at end-of-life, disposal
bans or product 'take back' schemes, where appropriate.
The 2010 strategy signalled the Queensland Government's intention to legislate to require preparation of a priority
product statement to notify various sectors of its interest in these waste and the proposed action to improve their
management at end-of-life. Supplementary paper three in the 2010 Strategy set out the process by which the
highest priorities will be identified for action.
Discussion
Initial feedback from key stakeholders to EHP indicated that it is important that goals, targets and priority areas are
under-pinned by robust data, are evidence-based and achievable.
The existing target categories may not be the most appropriate way of measuring the performance of a strategy.
For example, some very small businesses may have a waste profile that is more similar to municipal or household
waste than it is to commercial waste.
The existing targets are unable to measure avoidance. Furthermore, the existing targets are not mandatory and
apply to Queensland as a whole. To take into account different circumstances and challenges facing regional areas
of the State, regional stakeholders have suggested differentiated targets between metropolitan areas and the
regions should be explored. Stakeholders have also suggested that targets need to be assigned to particular
parties to ensure accountability for targets being achieved.
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It was suggested by stakeholders that targets be supported by short, medium and long-term performance
measures so that ongoing performance can be assessed.
Other types of target could also be explored, for example.
•
•
•
•
•
annual waste diversion targets
resource recovery targets for specific waste streams and materials
the amount of resource recovery investment growth in regional Queensland
the percentage growth in the reuse of waste by industry
the percentage of new or expanded recycling infrastructure in Queensland.
Any target will need to be backed up with reliable data collection. Reliable data collection mechanisms are critical in
order to gauge performance against targets. Subsequent to the release of the 2010 strategy, the collection of key
waste disposal and recycling data was mandated through provisions in the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act
2011 (refer section 2.4 Stronger legislation).
Following the release of the 2010 strategy, the Queensland Government introduced legislation through the Waste
Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 to enable the release of a 'priority product statement' for public consultation on
the best way to improve management of priority or 'problem' waste. At the time of review, a priority product
statement is yet to be released.
Recommendations
• Include waste avoidance as a goal or target.
• Continue investment in development, maintenance and improvement of an electronic waste data collection
system.
• Ensure data collection takes into account anomalies in waste stream groupings that may skew performance
trends.
• Include targets that are specific to certain parties/sectors/streams to ensure the targets are accountable.
• Recognise that regional and metropolitan targets may be more appropriate to take into account different
circumstances.
3.3 Price signal—waste disposal levy
Background
The 2010 strategy includes a waste disposal levy as a price signal to change disposal behaviour. The policy intent
behind the levy was to apply an additional charge at the point of disposal as a price signal to encourage waste
generators to change behaviour with waste. The levy also provided additional incentive for industry investment in
resource recovery infrastructure and generated funding for programs.
Levy rates were set as follows:
Waste type
Cost (per tonne)
Commercial and industrial
waste, and construction and
demolition waste
$35
Regulated waste
$50–$150
Municipal solid waste (MSW)
$0
Levy funds were to be distributed in the following ways:
• $159 million towards targeted programs to help business and industry reduce the amount of waste they
generate, and to encourage industry investment in recycling technologies, particularly in regional areas
• $120 million for local governments to spend on environmental projects, focussing on better waste management
facilities and practices.
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Discussion
The waste disposal levy was repealed in mid-2012 in accordance with a change in Queensland Government policy
to reduce costs to business. The levy effectively ended on 1 July 2012 through an amendment to the Waste
Reduction and Recycling Regulation 2011 to set all levy prices to nil. The repeal of the levy was completed when
Parliament passed legislation on 5 March 2013 to remove references to the levy from the Waste Reduction and
Recycling Act 2011.
3.4 Legislation
Background
The 2010 strategy identified the need for waste management legislation to drive a strong resource recovery
agenda. The existing legislative framework for managing waste in Queensland sits under the Environmental
Protection Act 1994 and the Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulation 2000, which addresses
licencing, waste tracking and pollution, but did not reflect the objectives of modern waste and resource
management practices.
A suite of legislative reforms was subsequently introduced—the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011
(WRR Act)—in October 2011 to address current waste management practices.
The WRR Act provides a number of important waste reforms, for example:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
strengthened litter laws and public reporting for littering from vehicles
improved reporting of waste and disposal
strengthened planning and reporting by state government
a legislative framework for product stewardship (voluntary and mandatory)
strategic planning for waste reduction and recycling
beneficial use approval framework for general approvals to facilitate resource recovery
ability for the Minister to issue priority product statements through a transparent consultative process
review the waste strategy within three-year cycles.
The WRR Act also introduced a waste disposal levy, as outlined in section 2.3 of this paper, which has
subsequently been repealed.
Discussion
The legislative reforms have now been in place for two years.
The Act contains provisions for a framework for the approval of waste for beneficial reuse. In early discussions on
the development of the industry-led waste strategy, industry stakeholders raised concerns about the application of
this framework, describing it as onerous, costly and complex. This section is currently under separate review.
The new public reporting system for littering from vehicles received almost 2496 eyewitness reports in 2012/13,
resulting in 1746 penalty infringement notices issued.
The priority product statement and problem waste management measures are new regulatory tools that enable the
government to improve end of life management of ‘problem’ product waste streams. Government action may
include establishing product stewardship programs under which producers take back end-of-life products, in
addition to phased-in disposal bans for certain priority products. The legislation establishes a framework for public
consultation to ensure public feedback informs the identification of the highest priority waste, and the best option to
manage each type of waste.
The collection of robust and transparent waste data is essential to help make evidence based policy decisions and
legislative changes.
Recommendations
• Review the overarching legislative and regulatory framework for waste management to ensure it is achieving
environmental objectives while allowing industry to operate effectively and innovate.
• Provide for the collection of more robust and transparent waste data to help make sound future policy decisions.
• Explore options to ensure appropriate management of problem waste or regulated waste through priority
product statements.
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3.5 Programs, actions and partnerships
Background
Programs and actions were to be funded by an estimated $279 million raised from the levy over four years. A
dedicated Waste and Environment Fund was established under the WRR Act for this purpose. Additionally, a
Waste Avoidance and Resource Efficiency Business Plan 2010–2020 (the business plan) was developed and
published under the WRR Act to detail the implementation of identified programs and actions to deliver on the
goals presented in the 2010 strategy.
In preparation of the business plan, the department undertook detailed analysis of Queensland's waste profile to
identify priority waste that must be addressed in order to achieve strategy targets. The department then identified
impediments to achieving increased recycling and resource recovery across priority waste streams. From this
analysis five key themes and associated programs were presented in the business plan. The key themes
presented were: waste infrastructure and market development; applied research and development; capacity
building; enhanced regulation and compliance; and strategic and national initiatives.
Of the 26 programs that were identified in the business plan, four programs were implemented that spanned the
business plan's key themes. These are the:
1. reThink Business Waste Program
2. Infrastructure Grants program
3. Litter and Illegal Dumping program
4. Sustainable Futures Fund agreement between state and local government.
The Waste Environment Fund was established to fund the strategy's programs, actions and partnerships. The fund
ceased to exist following the repeal of the waste disposal levy through the Waste Reduction and Recycling and
Other Legislation Amendment Act in March 2013. Consequently the business plan and associated programs are no
longer in place.
To support the development and implementation of the 2010 strategy, various partnerships were fostered including
an expert technical working group and overarching steering committee.
The 2010 strategy introduced mandatory reporting requirements for waste recovery and disposal activities. To
achieve this the department invested in the Queensland Waste Data System (QWDS) to provide quality baseline
data to enable the department to meet reporting and evaluation requirements under the WRR Act, produce reports,
examine performance against strategic targets and provide data to stakeholders whilst maintaining appropriate
data privacy and confidentiality.
Discussion
Partnerships between industry and government will be critical to deliver future waste actions and will require all
stakeholders to participate.
Developing an implementation model that clearly sets out agreed actions and responsibilities will be key to
ensuring that strategy objectives and actions are achieved. Stakeholder feedback indicates incentives such as
funding are important to implementing strategy programs.
Recommendations
• That the Queensland Government continues to facilitate partnership approaches.
• Develop an implementation approach that sets out clear actions and responsibilities.
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4 Summary of recommendations
Vision and principles
• Ensure strategy principles link directly to actions.
• In addition to the waste hierarchy principle ensure social and economic factors are taken into account.
• Incorporate a stronger focus on waste avoidance.
Goals, targets and priority areas
• Include waste avoidance as a goal or target.
• Continue investment in development, maintenance and improvement of an electronic waste data
collection system.
• Ensure data collection takes into account anomalies in waste stream groupings that may skew
performance trends.
• Include targets that are specific to certain parties/sectors/streams to ensure the targets are accountable.
• Recognise that regional and metropolitan targets may be more appropriate to take into account different
circumstances.
Legislation
• Review the overarching legislative and regulatory framework for waste management to ensure it is achieving
environmental objectives while allowing industry to operate effectively and innovate.
• Provide for the collection of more robust and transparent waste data to help make sound future policy decisions.
• Explore options to ensure appropriate management of problem waste or regulated waste through priority
product statements.
Programs, actions and partnerships
• That the Queensland Government continues to facilitate partnership approaches.
• Develop an implementation approach that sets out clear actions and responsibilities.
5 Have your say
Your feedback is sought on this review report. Please provide your comments to [email protected]
The submission period will close on 5pm Friday 30 May 2014.
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Endnotes
1
Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulatory Impact
Statement Attachment A: Problem Statement for
Packaging (December 2011), COAG Standing Council on
Environment and Water, p 8
18 Baseline data from The State of Waste and Recycling in
Queensland 2013, DEHP. Note that the report explains
a change in the methodology for calculating the
green waste component of municipal solid waste and
commercial and industrial waste resulting in a lower
baseline for the former.
19 The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2013, DEHP
2
Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulatory Impact
Statement (December 2011), COAG Standing Council on
Environment and Water, p 39-40
3
From Waste to Resource: Changing the Way Business
Views Waste (August 2010), Chamber of Commerce and
Industry Queensland, p 4
21 A study into commercial & industrial (C&I) waste
and recycling in Australia by industry division (2013)
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water
Population and Communities
4
National Waste Report 2010, Environment Heritage
Protection Council
22 Queensland Regional Profile 2011 Queensland Treasury
and Trade
5
The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2013,
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
23 The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2013, DEHP
6
A study into commercial & industrial (C&I) waste
and recycling in Australia by industry division (2013)
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water
Population and Communities
7
What a waste: An analysis of household expenditure on
food (November 2009) The Australia Institute
8
National Litter Index (NLI) Annual Report 2011-12 (2012)
McGregor Tan Research, prepared for Keep Australia
Beautiful National Association kab.org.au
9
Blueprint for Waste Avoidance, Recovery and
Management in Queensland (2010) Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Queensland The state of waste
and recycling in Queensland 2012 DEHP
10 Waste, Recycling Industry Association Queensland
industry survey (2011)
11 The Australian recycling sector report (January 2012)
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities
12 The Australian recycling sector report (January 2012)
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities
13 The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2013, DEHP
14 The State of Waste and recycling in Queensland 2013,
DEHP. Note that not all councils collect data on amounts
of litter or costs of litter management
15 To Eat or Not to Eat: Debris Selectivity, Kathy Townsend
et al, School of Biological Sciences, Moreton Bay
Research Station, University of Queensland, Australia
16 A study into commercial & industrial (C&I) waste
and recycling in Australia by industry division (2013)
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water
Population and Communities
17 The Australian Recycling Sector 2012, Department
of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population
and Communities
34
20 Waste Account, Australia, Experimental Estimates 2013—
Main Findings, Australian Bureau of Statistics
24 Science and Innovation Action Plan: turning great ideas
into great opportunities (2013), Department of Science,
Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, p 8
25 Product stewardship for end-of-life tyres, www.
environment.gov.au
26 National television and computer recycling scheme:
recycling targets, www.environment.gov.au
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