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Overview

Hazardous wastes, known as 'prescribed industrial wastes' (PIW) in Victoria's environment protection laws, are the by-products of everyday goods and services, such as the manufacturing of motor vehicles, paint and plastics, dry cleaning services, fast food outlets, dental surgeries and hospitals. The regulation and management of these wastes is now provided in Victoria through the Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009 (Adobe PDF, 416KB), which, in July 2009, replaced the Environment Protection (Prescribed Waste) Regulations 1998, and the Industrial Waste Management Policy (Prescribed Industrial Waste) 2000.

Guidance for the new, streamlined regulatory framework is provided in the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines, an easy-to-use web-based system for finding guidance documents.

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The new Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009

Due to the potential risks to human health and the environment, there is a continued need to control and regulate the handling, management and disposal of PIW. However changes in industry practices, the increasing availability of treatment and recycling infrastructure, and an improved understanding of these materials in the broader community, has created a need to support resource efficiency and to reflect these changes in the Regulations.

The title of the new Regulations recognises the resource potential of all industrial wastes with the key intent of the new framework being to significantly improve the rates of reuse and recycling of industrial waste resources in a sustainable way. Other benefits are outlined in the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS), which was prepared in support of the Regulations.

• Regulatory Impact Statement (Adobe PDF, 416KB)
• Victorian Competition & Efficiency Commission Assessment (Adobe PDF, 416KB)

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Development of the new Regulations

EPA engaged with a broad range of stakeholders in the development of the new Regulations, to ensure that the new framework delivered sustainable outcomes for the community, the economy and the environment. A discussion paper was released in July 2008, seeking stakeholder thoughts on what worked well, what didn’t work well, and what new initiatives were needed to improve the regulation and management of PIWs, with numerous responses received.

Discussion paper – "The Future of Hazardous Waste Management in Victoria”   (Adobe PDF, 416KB)

EPA also hosted four workshops through July and August 2008, exploring these questions in greater detail, amongst a diverse group of attendees. The feedback EPA received through these avenues was enormously useful in the drafting of the Regulations. The consultation highlighted that the former regulatory framework was effective in reducing the generation and disposal of hazardous waste, however there were areas that could be improved. These included better definitions of potential hazards, and ensuring that the scale of regulation and management was commensurate to risk. It was also highlighted that more could be done in a regulatory capacity to support and drive resource efficiency, particularly providing effective and efficient means of reuse and recycling. 

• Outcomes of Workshop 1 – 30 July 2008 (Adobe PDF, 976KB)
• Outcomes of Workshop 2 – 5 August 2008 (Adobe PDF, 2.02MB)
• Outcomes of Workshop 3 – 11 August 2008 (Adobe PDF, 1.46MB)
• Outcomes of Workshop 4 – 18 August 2008 (Adobe PDF, 1.86MB)

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Avoidance and management of prescribed industrial waste

EPA is undertaking programs to help industry identify ways of reducing the amount of waste produced, including the HazWaste Fund and Energy and Resource Efficiency Plans (EREPs).

For waste that cannot be avoided, EPA is exploring ways for it to be reused, recycled or the energy recovered, so that the waste can be used for productive purposes. If it cannot be used productively, EPA will ensure that it is safely managed at best practice municipal landfills and appropriately licensed facilities. The management and disposal of PIW is regulated by EPA through statutory instruments, including licensing, works approval, notices, regulations and policy.

Of particular focus is the reduction of Category B PIWs, with the intent of achieving the State Government’s objective of eliminating its disposal to landfill by 2020.

Further information

• How much PIW is disposed of to landfill in Victoria?
• Avoiding PIW

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Hazard Categorisation Framework 

PIW destined for landfill must be categorised into one of three hazard categories; A, B or C.  Category A wastes are banned from landfill and require treatment before disposal. Category B and C wastes can be accepted at best practice landfills that have approval from EPA to accept such wastes. The aim of the categorisation framework is to improve treatment standards and achieve greater waste separation to help identify further avoidance, re-use or recycling opportunities. There are different landfill levies for Category B, Category C and asbestos.

The two key documents used to categorise PIW are;

• Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines – Soil Hazard Categorisation & Management
  (This guideline replaces 448.3 - Classification of Wastes)
• Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines – Solid Industrial Waste – Hazard Categorisation &     Management
  (This guideline replaces 996 - Guidelines for Hazard Classification of Solid Prescribed Industrial Wastes)

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