HOW WE INCREASED RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
'The new regulations are a positive step forward.'
Mr LES HARMAN Senior Environmental Advisor Qenos

We streamlined your waste regulations
We introduced new regulations to encourage you to capitalise on the economic and environmental opportunities of resource efficiency through avoiding, reducing, reusing and recycling industrial waste.

What we did
We worked closely with you as we reviewed and developed the Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resources) Regulations 2009.
We issued a discussion paper in July 2008 and held four workshops during July and August, which were a useful means of gaining your thoughts and ideas.
From your feedback it was clear that we needed to manage and regulate prescribed industrial waste (PIW) in a way that was appropriate to the risk posed and focus attention on the most hazardous materials.
In recognising this, we amended the regulatory framework to better define, manage and regulate the potential hazards posed by industrial waste, enabling us to meet the need to protect our community’s health, our environment and drive resource efficiency.

Our key objectives in making the changes were to enable you to achieve resource efficiency and better manage hazard and risks, to improve significantly your rates of reuse and recycling of industrial waste in a sustainable way, and to simplify compliance for you.

The regulations also seek to encourage you to identify and implement innovative solutions and invest in resource efficiency. The new regulations replace the Environment Protection (Prescribed Waste) Regulations 1998 and the Industrial Waste Management Policy (Prescribed Industrial Waste) 2000, thereby reducing red tape with one new regulation that is much simpler and easier to apply.

What we said
“It’s long been difficult to draw a line between when a material is managed as a waste or as a product. These new regulations make this distinction clearer, and provide an innovative and robust way for companies to explore and implement reuse opportunities for their industrial waste resources.”
Mr Garrett Hall
EPA Environmental Strategies Unit

What you said
“The new regulations are a positive step forward. We saw the consultation process as a good approach, and it was pleasing to see industry input taken up.”
Mr Les Harman
Senior Environmental Advisor Qenos

“We appreciate the constructive consultation undertaken by EPA Victoria with ourselves, our members and the public in reviewing and drafting these regulations. There is no doubt the leadership position taken on the regulations is testimony to the process and vision of those involved.”
Mr Geoff MacAlpine
Director Industry Development PACIA

“Veolia appreciated the opportunity for consultation during development of the new PIW regulations. We look forward to working with industry to maximise the opportunities represented by the new focus on resource recovery.”
Mr Matt Stanelos
Prescribed Waste Manager
Veolia Environmental Services