2018-06-27 SM - Attachment 1 to Item 2 - Directions Paper Transforming Queensland's Recycling & Waste Industry

                                                      NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY




       Australia to prepare a national market development strategy for used tyres. The strategy is intended to map out
       actions for short, medium and long-term prioritisation of market development opportunities. These actions are
       expected to reduce reliance on export markets, and strengthen domestic tyre recycling capacity in Australia.

       Coffee cup recycling trial (completed). This 20-day Brisbane-based trial resulted in the collection of 4,296
       disposable coffee cups in the Brisbane City Council Green Square where approximately 700 people work. The
       information will be used to help develop a national business case to attract investment into recycling this waste
       stream (either by recycling into new plastic and paper products, or in energy recovery).

       Biofutures initiative (in progress). The Queensland Government’s Biofutures 10-year Roadmap and Action Plan
       (Biofutures Roadmap) includes strategies and actions to achieve its vision for a $1 billion sustainable and export-
       oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector attracting significant international investment, creating
       regional, high-value and knowledge intensive-jobs. Under the Biofutures Roadmap, a review of wastes in
       Queensland that may be suitable for diversion from disposal to higher-order and more sustainable uses has been
       completed. A further investigation into the policy and market development opportunities to encourage re-use of
       waste currently going to landfill was also conducted in 2017. The outputs of these actions will help to facilitate and
       attract investment in the resource recovery sector.

       Objective 4: Management, treatment and disposal
       Regulated waste framework review (in progress). This review aims to introduce a regulated waste classification
       system that reflects the link between waste and the potential risk to human health and the environment. Four
       regulated waste categories are proposed (in order of decreasing risk): category 1, category 2, category 3, and the
       not regulated waste category.

       Waste-related environmentally relevant activities (ERA) framework review (in progress). The review aims to
       develop a modern framework for regulating waste-related ERAs that better reflects current waste management
       practices and the environmental risks associated with each activity. It also seeks to identify opportunities for
       improved waste management and resource recovery, industry growth, and where appropriate, facilitate the use of
       new and innovative technologies.

       End of waste framework (EoW) (in progress). The EoW framework provides the means by which a waste can be
       reclassified into a resource, allowing it to be used for other purposes. As a resource, the material would be
       considered the same as other non-waste resources and would not be controlled as a waste. This is intended to
       encourage diversion of potential resources from landfill and into new uses.

       Online waste tracking (completed). This online waste tracking system was introduced to facilitate rapid
       completion (by industry) and analysis (by the department) of waste transport certificates that track the movement of
       trackable wastes (schedule 2E of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008). The online system enables an
       equitable fee charging regime, reduces the administrative burden on the department involved in processing paper-
       based tracking certificates, and provides more timely access to waste tracking information for compliance
       investigation purposes.

       Landfill disposal bans (in progress). A 2014 cost-benefit analysis of the implementation of landfill disposal bans in
       Queensland identified that introducing a landfill ban for sorted concrete, tyres and MSW green materials would be
       feasible on the basis that it would result in a net economic benefit over a 10-year period. Additional work is being
       completed to evaluate the potential impacts of a legislative ban on the waste materials.

       Queensland Waste Infrastructure Project (in progress). This project seeks firstly to improve understanding of
       waste flows and existing waste and resource recovery infrastructure across the state, and secondly to develop a
       series of long-range waste infrastructure plans for Queensland’s regions to ensure sufficient infrastructure capacity
       to support the Strategy targets. A key outcome of this project to date is an interactive map of licensed waste
       facilities that are open to the public.

       Operation TORA (in progress). Implemented by the Waste Industry Compliance Investigation Taskforce,
       Operation TORA is a coordinated compliance program to stamp out unlicensed waste management operators in
       Queensland. Between August 2015 and January 2017, Operation TORA conducted 207 investigations into alleged
       unlicensed waste operators which resulted in 69 enforcement outcomes.




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