Draft Environment Protection (Waste Reform) Amendment Bill 2016

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This engagement has closed for comment. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned for updates.

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You are invited to have your say on the proposed amendments to the Environment Protection Act 1993 contained in the draft Environment Protection (Waste Reform) Amendment Bill 2016 (Waste Reform Bill).

What is being decided?

South Australia has established itself as one of the world’s best recyclers with good policy and industry innovation. We now want to lead the world in waste management and resource recovery.

The waste management and resource recovery sector is a billion dollar industry that employs around 5,000 South Australians. While activity in the sector has steadily increased over the past 10 years, incentivised through government policy, including Zero Waste SA programs with complementary regulation administered by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), we know we can continue to grow this important industry.

The state government wants to unlock future potential and drive innovation in the sector with targeted and effective changes to regulations. Engagement with the industry, including the Waste Summit in March 2015 and consultation on the discussion paper, Reforming waste management – creating certainty for an industry to grow, has identified a suite of potential reforms to promote industry certainty and achieve robust regulation that better support a more level playing field and a healthy environment.

The South Australian Government is seeking to help realise the economic potential from innovation in waste and resource recovery technologies, while at the same time protecting our environment. It is committed to providing the right setting to attract investment, drive innovation and create jobs. This is being achieved through new initiatives such as the establishment of Green Industries SA and pursuing a regulatory regime that underpins the confident and fair operation of this sector.

The state government has prepared for comment the Explanatory report with draft of Waste Reform Bill (PDF 1.25MB) to provide the necessary underpinning for the EPA to be able to better tackle illegal dumping and achieve a suite of waste reforms that will provide the right setting to attract investment, drive innovation and create jobs.

This Bill will provide the necessary underpinning for the EPA to be able to better tackle illegal dumping and achieve a suite of waste reforms.

How can your input influence the decision?

To find out more or share your views, you are invited to attend one of our consultation forums being held in locations across the state (register here):

• Adelaide 30 September: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
  Adina Treasury Hotel, Vault 2, 2 Flinders Street
• Port Augusta 13 October: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
  Pt Augusta Council Chambers 4 Mackay Street
• Clare 14 October: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
  Clare Country Club, Gallery Room, White Hut Road
• Mount Gambier 18 October: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Mt Gambier City Hall, 1 Bay Road
• Karoonda 21 October: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Karoonda Council Chamber, 11 Railway Terrace
• Wudinna 25 October: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
  Wudinna Community Club, 48-51 Medley Tce
• Mannum 3 November: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
  Pretoria Hotel, 50 Randell Street

You can also provide your comments on the draft Bill by:

• Joining the online discussion
• Emailing via epainfo@epa.sa.gov.au
• Posting to: Waste Reform Project, Environment Protection Authority, GPO Box 2607, ADELAIDE SA 5001.

Comments close at 5:00 pm, Friday 18 November 2016. A summary of submissions will be published in early 2017 and the Bill will be available on YourSAy and the EPA website.

Want to know more?

• Follow the conversation on Twitter @SA_EPA
• Contact us via (08) 8204 2004 or email sally.jackson@sa.gov.au to request a hard copy of the Bill.

Background

The discussion paper Reforming waste management – creating certainty for an industry to grow, released for consultation during August–October 2015 recognised the key drivers influencing waste management and identified a broad mix of mechanisms that could be used to support sound regulation to support fair and equitable competition, stability, growth and innovation in the sector by addressing key issues and opportunities faced. Policy options for addressing the following issues were considered:

• static or growing stockpiles
• waste promoted as ‘product’ and issues around ensuring environmental risks are reliably tested
• potentially re-useable ‘fill materials’ ending up at landfill due to development pressures
• the need to deal with certain problematic wastes
• illegal dumping.