November start for Tasmania’s new statewide waste levy

A statewide waste levy will be introduced in Tasmania on 1 November, with the proceeds being invested back into waste management.

The levy, which will start at $20 a tonne and rise to $60 a tonne after four years, will be collected by Environment Protection Authority Tasmania and managed by a new body, the Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board.

The board will administer grant programs with the levy funds and provide strategic review and planning for waste management practices across the state.

The draft
Waste and Resource Recovery Bill allowing for the levy’s introduction went on
public exhibition last week.

Tasmania is
the only state without a legislated waste levy, though several councils on the
island have a voluntary waste “levy” applied at the landfill gate.

The State Government
says a staged implementation will allow time for businesses and local
governments “to plan for the changes and provide certainty for businesses to
invest in waste reduction and resource recovery activities”.

Local
government and landfill operators will be supported in their preparations for
the levy’s introduction.

Public consultation on the draft Bill will continue until Friday 12 March. Click here for more information.

The Government has also announced its preferred Container Refund Scheme model.

An independent network operator will establish and run the network of refund points, while a scheme coordinator will oversee its finances and administration.

Draft​ legislation for the “split responsibility” model will be published shortly, with the Government aiming to start the scheme in 2022.