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The Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009 have replaced both the Environment Protection (Prescribed Waste ) Regulations 1998, and the Industrial Waste Management Policy (Prescribed Industrial Waste) 2000. The new Regulations came into effect on July 1 2009. Guidance to support these Regulations is provided in the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines

Waste related legislation

The primary legislation for waste management in Victoria is the Environment Protection Act 1970. Primary legislation provides the regulatory framework for society by imposing restrictions and controls on the activities of individuals and corporate bodies.
A central concept to waste management in Victoria is that of resource efficiency. The Act establishes the waste hierarchy for Victoria, which provides a list of preferences for management options:

• avoidance
• re-use
• recycling
• recovery of energy
• treatment
• containment
• disposal

Under the Act, EPA can create subordinate legislation, such as waste management polices (WMPs), State environment protection policies (SEPPs) and Regulations. Subordinate legislation is used to implement the provisions outlined in the primary legislation (or Act) and its powers cannot exceed those provided in the primary Act.

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, 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.

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:

• Environment Protection (Industrial Waste Resource) Regulations 2009
• Waste Management Policy (Siting, Design and Management of Landfills) 2004
• Environment Protection (Distribution of Landfill Levy) Regulations 2002
• Industrial Waste Management Policy (Protection of the Ozone Layer) 2001
• Industrial Waste Management Policy (Movement of Controlled Wastes Between States and Territories) 2001
• Industrial Waste Management Policy (Waste Acid Sulfate Soils) 1999
• Industrial Waste Management Policy (National Pollutant Inventory) 1998

Also view the complete list of legislation administered by EPA, including all the waste management policies.

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