National Waste Reporting 2013
FACTSHEET – JURISDICTIONAL WASTE PROFILES
VICTORIA (VIC)
Policy framework
Legislation
The primary legislation for waste management in Victoria is the Environment Protection Act
1970 (the Act). This legislation provides the regulatory framework by imposing restrictions and
controls on waste related activities of individuals and corporate bodies, as well as setting out
the responsibilities of certain government agencies involved in regulating waste.
Under the Act, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) can recommend that subordinate
legislation, such as waste management polices (WMPs), state environment protection policies
(SEPPs) and regulations, be made. Subordinate legislation is used to prescribe matters that
give effect to provisions in the primary legislation (or Act); its powers cannot exceed those
provided in the primary Act.
Subordinate legislation for waste management in Victoria is listed below. These instruments
help to define objectives for environmental quality and programs for the management of
specific waste issues:
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Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009 (Victorian
Legislation and Parliamentary Documents)
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Waste management policies
The key subordinate legislation for the regulation and management of hazardous wastes,
known as prescribed industrial wastes (PIW) in Victoria's environment protection laws, is
provided through the Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009.
Sustainability Victoria (SV) has a statutory obligation under the Environment Protection Act
1970 for state-wide waste management strategy and planning, as well as managing the
Sustainability Fund. SV has an objective to facilitate and promote environmental sustainability
in the use of resources. Established under the Sustainability Victoria Act 2005, SV is a
statutory authority with a board appointed by the Minister for Environment and Climate
Change.
Policies/strategies
The Victorian waste management and resource recovery policy has the following key
objectives:

Environmental protection
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Avoiding or minimising harm to the environment caused by waste and resource
recovery activities, including but not limited to generation, collection transport,
recycling and reprocessing and landfill
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Promoting forms of waste and resource recovery management which have the
least impact on the natural environment
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Improving or maintaining the environmental performance of all waste and resource
recovery facilities.
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Public health and wellbeing
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Continual improvement in the performance of waste and resource recovery facilities
and operations
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Avoiding or minimising the risk of harm to persons arising from the waste and
resource recovery system
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Promoting waste and recovery services and technologies which have the greatest
benefit for, and least negative impact on, public health and wellbeing.
Economic prosperity
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Improving productivity and employment
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Facilitating investment in Victoria
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Increasing efficiency through reducing costs and fostering the economical use of
resources
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Providing cost effective waste and resource recovery services
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Fostering competition.
Integrated and efficiency waste and resource recovery system
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clearly defining roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for all public sector
entities involved in resource recovery and waste management
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recognising that waste management is a shared responsibility between
government, industry and the community
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aligning resource recovery and waste management priorities with Whole-ofGovernment priorities
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increasing integration with land-use planning, transport and development, to enable
strategic planning in preparation for population growth
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improving information management and data availability to allow better decision
making.
Waste diversion targets
The data and information management systems underpinning Victoria’s waste management
need improvement to enable a rigorous assessment of progress against the four policy
objectives identified above. The Victorian Government has begun to identify and address data
management gaps so that better, evidence based decisions can be made.
The Government will measure and biennially report on a range of new indicators that will track
progress towards realising the four policy objectives. These indicators will be developed
alongside the development of the policy’s implementation plan, and they will be based on
achieving the following outcomes:
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reduced impacts to ground and surface water from landfills and other waste
management facilities
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reduced impacts on local communities of odour, noise, dust and litter from landfills
and other waste management facilities
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reduced greenhouse gas emissions intensity of waste to landfill – noting that this
will be influenced through the national carbon price
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illegal dumping and littering is monitored, discouraged and penalised
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waste reduction and resource efficiency programs show demonstrable reductions in
waste generation from households, public sector organisations and businesses
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increased productivity of materials entering the waste and resource recovery
system
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competitive markets for recovered resources
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a risk-based and responsive regulatory model that minimises uncertainty and
regulatory burden for business
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Victoria’s waste management and resource recovery infrastructure planning
supports the achievement of current and future waste and resource recovery
management priorities
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clearly defined roles, lines of accountability and oversight for government bodies
responsible for implementing the Government’s statutory functions and waste
management and resource recovery policy objectives.
Levies
Victoria charges a levy on each tonne of waste that is disposed of in Victorian landfills. Levies
apply to municipal and commercial wastes deposited at licensed facilities in Victoria.
Table 1: Victoria landfill levies 2012-13
Metropolitan and provincial
municipalities
Rural municipalities
Municipal or industrial waste
Industrial waste
Municipal waste
2012-13 $48.40/tonne
2012-13 $42.40/tonne
2012-13 $24.20/tonne
2013-14 $53.20/tonne
2013-14 $46.60/tonne
2013-14 $26.60/tonne
2014-15 $58.50/tonne
2014-15 $51.30/tonne
2014-15 $29.30/tonne
Classification trees
Figure 1 Victoria waste classification system
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Infrastructure
Victoria’s waste and resource recovery system manages over 12.3 million tonnes of solid
waste each year. It includes some 590 businesses, employing around 8000 people, and has
an annual turnover of $2 billion.1
The system’s infrastructure is extensive. Over 500 facilities across the state collect, sort,
transfer, reprocess, reuse and dispose of our waste materials. These activities occur across all
sectors of the economy including households, businesses, industry and government.
A key action identified under Getting Full Value: the Victorian Waste and Resource Recovery
Policy is the development of a Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan
(SWRRIP). The SWRRIP will provide a 30 year roadmap for future investment in waste and
resource recovery infrastructure to effectively manage the expected mix and increasing
volumes of waste generated by Victorian households, business and industry.
The Draft SWRRIP was prepared by Sustainability Victoria in consultation with industry, waste
management groups and all levels of government. It involved a detailed analysis of the current
system including mapping the locations of over 500 pieces of waste and resource recovery
infrastructure, an analysis of the expected mix and volumes of waste and assessment of
current capacity and future needs including future land use requirements.
The maps for the Draft SWRRIP show the location of over 500 major infrastructure facilities
associated with managing Victoria's waste and resource recovery (see
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/3696-maps-for-the-draft-swrrip.asp).They
include the locations of transfer stations, resource recovery centres, material recovery
facilities, wastewater treatment plants, major reprocessors and licensed and unlicensed
landfills.
The Draft SWRIIP is available for comment on the Sustainability Victoria website,
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/3694-statewide-waste-and-resource-recoveryinfrastructure-plan.asp. For the first time in Victoria it brings together the information and data
in the one document to provide the evidence base needed to guide waste and resource
recovery infrastructure planning at all levels across the state.
1
WME, Inside Waste Industry Report 2011-12 p. 90.
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Waste and recycling data2
Per capita waste generation and resource recovery
In 2010-11, Victoria generated about 2.2 tonnes of waste per capita (see Figure 2), which is
slightly less than SA and NSW and the fifth highest of Australia’s jurisdictions. This is
consistent with the pattern of greater levels of waste per capita where incomes and
urbanisation are high. The large secondary and tertiary industry base in Victoria is also likely
to have influenced this figure.
Figure 2 Per capita waste generation by management by jurisdiction, 2010-11
Victoria had Australia’s fourth highest resource recovery rate at around 62 per cent, which is
2 percentage points above the national average and reflects:
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a moderate level of resource recovery infrastructure
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a history of progressive waste management policies and state government
investment in infrastructure, market development and education programs
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a moderate landfill levy during the data period (with the exception of the hazardous
waste levy, which was Australia’s highest).
Total waste generated
Victoria generated about 12 Mt of waste in 2010-11 excluding fly ash and 14.5 Mt including fly
ash (see Figure 3). This was the second highest of Australia’s jurisdictions, consistent with its
ranking in relation to population and GSP.
Figure 3 Victoria total waste generation by management, 2010-11
2
Blue Environment and Randell Environmental Consulting 2013. Waste Generation and Resource Recovery in Australia.
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Waste streams (municipal solid waste (MSW), commercial and industrial (C&I) and
construction and demolition(C&D)) by material type
Waste streams
Figure 4 Victoria total waste generation by waste stream and management, 2010-11
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MSW generation was around 3.4 Mt with a resource recovery rate of 52 per cent,
which is one per cent above the Australian average. During the data period,
Victoria was targeting a MSW recovery rate of 65 per cent by 2014.
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C&I generation was 4.1 Mt with a resource recovery rate of 63 per cent, some
4 percentage points above the Australian average. At the time, Victoria was
targeting a C&I recovery rate of 80 per cent by 2014.
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C&D generation was 4.5 Mt with a resource recovery rate of 69 per cent, which is
3 percentage points above the Australian average. At the time, Victoria was
targeting a C&D recovery rate of 80 per cent by 2014.
These data reflect the relatively well established recovery industry for C&D and C&I wastes,
and a moderate level of resource recovery infrastructure for MSW recovery. More information
on the MSW, C&I and C&D waste streams is available in the overview on national waste
stream profiles.
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Material categories
In Victoria, the categories that make up the bulk of waste are masonry, organics, fly ash, paper
and cardboard, metals, and plastics. The resource recovery rates for most material categories
are at or above the national average with the notable exceptions of organics and glass (at 10
and six percentage points below the national average respectively).
Figure 5 Victoria total waste generation by material category and management, 2010-11
Trends in waste generation and management 2006-07 to 2010-11
Figure 6 shows the trends in per capita waste generation and management for the period
2006-07 to 2010-11 in Victoria.
Figure 6 Victoria trends in per capita waste generation and management, 2006-07 to 2010-11
Over the five-year period the following per capita trends are illustrated for Victoria:
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Waste generation was decreasing until 2008-09. It then increased to just above
2006-07 levels, resulting in an overall increase of two per cent.
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The resource recovery rate increased from 55 per cent to 62 per cent between
2006-07 and 2010-11.
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Recycling in Victoria increased significantly in 2009-10, resulting in overall growth
of 15 per cent. The increase was apparently due to an expansion in concrete
recycling, which jumped from 1.7 Mt in 2008-09 to 2.4 Mt in 2009-10.
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Waste used for energy in Victoria increased by around nine per cent.
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Waste disposal in Victoria decreased by 13 per cent, or by about 2.5 per cent per
year.
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Figure 7 shows the trends in total waste generation and management for the period 2006-07
to 2010-11 in Victoria.
Figure 7 Victoria trends in total waste generation and management, 2006-07 to 2010-11
Over the five-year period the following trends are illustrated in relation to total waste tonnages:
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waste generation increased by nine per cent
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recycling increased by 22 per cent
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energy recovery increased by 15 per cent
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disposal decreased by seven per cent.
Sourcing of data
Information on policy frameworks and infrastructure were provided by the government department responsible for waste
management and resource recovery in their state and territory.
Unless otherwise specified, waste generation and resource recovery data for this factsheet were sourced from Blue
Environment and Randell Environmental Consulting’s Waste Generation and Resource Recovery in Australia (2013). It is
important to note that the data (from this report) will not always reconcile with publicly reported data from the states and
territories. The differences in data result from differences in scope, method of compilation, and assumptions used in Waste
generation and resource recovery in Australia. The workbooks provide transparency so that differences between the reported
data sets can be reconciled if necessary.
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Case studies
Metropolitan Organics Processing Contract
The Metropolitan Waste Management Group is facilitating competitive tendering processes
with metropolitan councils for organic waste processing services – including green organics
and mixed green and food organics collected as part of councils’ kerbside collections. By
undertaking a joint process, participating councils achieve better value for money than
individually, and potential processors can be assured of a sufficient supply of material needed
to underwrite investment in new technology.
The Northern and Western Organics Processing Contract involves 11 participating councils.
Under this process, Veolia Environmental Services was selected as the preferred tenderer to
establish two organic processing facilities, one in Bulla and the other in Werribee. The Bulla
facility is expected to be operational in 2013.
The South Eastern Organics Processing Procurement tender involves eight participating
councils. Tenders closed in December 2012, and announcement of the preferred tender or
tenderers is expected in September 2013.
Victorian Litter Strategy 2012-14 and A Cleaner Yarra and Port Phillip Bay
The Victorian Litter Strategy 2012-14: Love your Victoria, is an updated strategy to prevent
littering in Victoria. It reflects recent and relevant changes, challenges and opportunities, and
provides new programs to prevent litter, increase public place recycling and address illegal
dumping in Victoria.
Implementing the Victorian Litter Strategy 2012-14 is part of the Victorian Government’s
$6 million commitment to tackle litter in Victoria.
A Cleaner Yarra and Port Phillip Bay, launched in October 2012, sets out a clear path of
investment, action and responsibility to improve the quality of the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay.
Priority two – Preventing pollution and reducing litter – includes targeted action to reduce litter
entering the river and bay.
A Cleaner Yarra and Port Phillip Bay provides a new focus of coordinated action across the
community and agencies to protect these well-loved assets from the negative impacts of litter.
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