Prescribed industrial waste policy

Topics on this page

• Overview
• Avoidance, reusing, recycle and recovery
• Hazard classification and waste immobilisation
• Long-term containment and best practice municipal landfills
• Advisory committee

 

Overview

The Industrial Waste Management Policy (Prescribed Industrial Waste) was introduced in December 2000 to encourage waste minimisation and the reuse, recycling and recovery of energy of waste that cannot be avoided.

The policy is a key instrument in:

• avoiding/reducing the generation of prescribed industrial waste
• reducing the amount of prescribed industrial waste sent to landfill/containment by reusing, recycling and recovering energy
• ensuring the safe management of residual prescribed industrial waste generated in Victoria.

These elements reflect the waste management hierarchy of avoidance, reuse, recycling, recovery of energy, repository storage, treatment and containment.

Building on existing controls, the policy requires waste generators to apply the waste management hierarchy in all management decisions regarding prescribed industrial waste. The policy focuses on avoiding the generation of waste and the diversion of unavoidable waste to productive purposes.

A more detailed overview of the policy (Adobe PDF file, 235KB) is available, as well as a Policy Impact Assessment (Adobe PDF file, 713KB).

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Avoidance, reusing, recycle and recovery

Under the policy, EPA can undertake classification (by management option) to require a particular waste stream to be reused or recycled rather than being disposed of to landfill.

EPA can also employ waste reduction targets to focus on avoiding the generation of a particular waste stream and apply these to individual generators or entire industry sectors.

EPA will enforce classifications and reduction targets by amending the licences of waste generators and treatment or disposal facilities.

Broader voluntary programs such as EPA's business sustainability initiative will also support the policy.

These statutory and voluntary initiatives will ensure that the full value of waste is realised and promote the sustainability of our environment, communities and industry.

Industry will be guided by relevant EPA publications detailing how to reduce generation of prescribed industrial waste and guidance on the classification of prescribed industrial waste.

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Hazard classification and waste immobilisation

EPA has developed guidelines to assist waste generators and treaters assess the hazard posed by their prescribed industrial wastes by providing the framework and criteria against which wastes must be assessed. The hazard classification framework attributes a hazard category to prescribed industrial waste and determines the type of facility able to accept the waste for final containment.

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Long-term containment and best practice municipal landfills

There will continue to be the need for systems to manage and/or contain residual prescribed industrial wastes. These include long-term containment facilities and best practice municipal landfills.

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Advisory committee

A technical advisory committee, known as the Prescribed Industrial Waste Advisory Committee (PIWAC), has been established under the policy to provide advice to EPA on all aspects of the implementation of the policy and associated programs.

This committee consists of representatives from different areas including industry, waste management, academia, and environmental, community and union groups.

 

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