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

In 2017, the Queensland Government commissioned
Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) to undertake an
                                                              Current initiatives
assessment of economic opportunities for Queensland’s         Current waste management actions and initiatives have
waste industry. This assessment noted that Queensland’s       focused on mitigating the impact of contaminants on the
current waste management framework is not supported           environment, providing regulatory reform for industry
by effective mechanisms to overcome poor recovery rates.      to stimulate future infrastructure investment and jobs
The absence of a waste levy is cited by QTC as an important   growth, and an ongoing commitment to improving the
cause of investment uncertainty in the sector. With greater   recovery of priority waste streams.
investment in resource recovery infrastructure, QTC
estimates 3000 direct jobs could be created.                  Collaboration and partnerships with business and
                                                              industry that deliver on-ground initiatives have been vital
QTC reviewed other Australian and international               in achieving successful outcomes to date.
jurisdictions and found that best practice waste
management requires an overarching policy framework           Both at the national and state levels, a range of wastes
to support the right investments, develop desired             have been identified as priority issues. Key projects have
outcomes for the sector, sustain rigorous monitoring          more recently targeted the most problematic wastes with
and compliance activities and promote best practice to        a high level of environmental impact and community
government, business and the community.                       concern, especially those for which collection and
                                                              recycling presents domestic business opportunities.
QTC found that a waste disposal levy is a foundational
element in any jurisdiction with a high recovery rate.        The Queensland Government is currently implementing
A levy has the dual purpose of:                               a number of initiatives that complement and support the
1. providing a market signal to reduce waste generation       strategic direction of improved waste management and
    and increase recovery                                     resource recovery in Queensland. These initiatives include:
2. providing a source of funding for reinvestment into the    • the introduction of a ban on the supply of single-use
    resource recovery and waste sector and programs to            lightweight plastic shopping bags on 1 July 2018
    help reduce the amount of waste to landfill.               • the introduction of a Container Refund Scheme on
                                                                  1 November 2018
The QTC report also observed that an overarching strategic
                                                              • regulatory reform of the regulated waste and waste-
approach to waste management and resource recovery has
                                                                  related Environmentally Relevant Activity frameworks
significant direct and indirect benefits including:
                                                              • strategic partnerships to deliver outcomes to improve
1. developing a regional approach to planning
                                                                  management of organic wastes
   and funding
                                                              • development of a Plastic Pollution Reduction Plan.
2. reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated
   with disposal
3. reducing the unproductive use of land by providing a
   more strategic approach to the identification of the
   need of new landfill sites
4. developing high quality data collection to enable
   more informed decision making
5. establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to
   provide for transparent monitoring and reporting.

A key observation from the QTC report is that levies in
other jurisdictions in Australia and across the world are
applied as part of a comprehensive waste strategy. This
includes a clear statement of objectives and a framework
for how the levy revenue would be used to promote
investment in new and expanded recycling infrastructure,
market development opportunities, and behaviour
change that reduces waste generation.




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