When you need a development licence and permit for this activity
You must get a permission from us to conduct certain activities that have risk of harm to human health and the environment. These are called prescribed activities and are defined in Schedule 1 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021.
If you receive, store or process waste generated at a site other than your own, you're conducting a waste or resource recovery activity, unless the waste is classified as reportable priority waste (transport).
Under the Regulations, you need a permission to receive, store or process waste generated at another site for:
- resource recovery
- offsite transfer or disposal.
You need an A13b – Waste and resource recovery (medium) development licence and permit if your waste is not specified combustible recyclable and waste material and:
- you receive 4,000 tonnes or more of waste in any month, or
- you store 10,000 m3 or more of waste on site at any time.
If your waste is specified combustible recyclable and waste material, then you can get an A13b development licence and permit if:
- you receive less than 4,000 tonnes of waste in any month
- you store between 5,000 m3 and 10 000 m3 of waste on site at any time.
An A13b permit does not allow you to receive, store, process or transport reportable priority waste for resource recovery or offsite transfer or disposal. To transport reportable priority waste, you need:
Exemptions
Under some circumstances, you can apply for a development licence exemption or a permit exemption.
Related activities
For larger amounts of waste, you need an A13a – Waste and resource recovery (large) development and operating licence.
For smaller amounts of waste, you need an A13c – Waste and resource recovery (small) registration.
Information to include in your application
When you submit your application in the portal, it must include certain information and supporting evidence. To learn more, visit Apply for a development licence or Apply for a permit.
If you're unsure of the type of permission you need, use our free permission pathway process before you start your application.
For this application, you must also provide:
Storage management plan
Include a storage management plan with:
- a site plan and stockpile layout showing how and where you will store waste in a way that minimises the risk of fire so far as reasonably practicable
- the estimated amount of waste, the types accepted, and maximum storage amounts or volumes
- the systems and processes you use to identify and classify wastes and track the volume to be accepted, stored and processed at the site.
For more information, refer to the Management and storage of combustible recyclable and waste materials guidance.
Risk management and monitoring program
You must develop and maintain a risk management and monitoring program for your permitted activities. It must:
- identify all the risks of harm to human health and the environment that may arise from activities at your site
- describe how you’ll continue to eliminate or minimise the risks you’ve identified, so far as reasonably practicable
- clearly define your environmental performance objectives
- clearly define your risk control performance objectives
- describe how you’re achieving these performance objectives.
Emergency management plan
Include an emergency management plan. The plan should identify:
- potential emergency events, including pollution incidents
- what actions waste and resource recovery facility owners, employees, contractors and visitors should take during emergency events.
For more information, refer to chapter 6 of the Management and storage of combustible recyclable and waste materials guidance.
Financial assurance
You may be required to provide financial assurance. For information about financial assurance for waste and resource recovery facilities, visit Financial assurance for waste and resource recovery facilities. This includes information about how your financial assurance amount is calculated.
Fire risk assessment
You must provide a fire risk assessment (FRA) for activities involving combustible recyclable and waste materials. A FRA:
- identifies fire hazards and risks
- shows how you propose to manage these.
You can include the FRA with your risk management and monitoring program.
Include details of the controls you will use to prevent firewater entering the environment when it has been contaminated by waste and burnt residues.
For more information, refer to chapters 3 and 4 of the Management and storage of combustible recyclable and waste materials guidance.
Application fee
For a list of current fees and how they're calculated, visit Fees. An extra fee may apply if we need more time than specified in the Regulations to assess your application.
If an application fee applies, we cannot assess your application until we've received and processed this fee.
How long your permit or licence is valid for
Your permit is valid for 5 years. The duration of a development licence depends on the activity.
How we assess your application
Find out how we assess your application and how long it takes.
Permit conditions
Permission conditions outline the legal obligations for the permission holder. They set up a framework for risk management, record keeping and reporting.
Where a condition includes:
- the word 'placeholder', values will be populated with information that's specific to your site
- a reference to a 'figure' or 'appendix', information will be populated that's specific to your site.
'Authority' means Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
Other conditions may apply.
| Condition code | Description |
| PER_G01 | A copy of this permit must be kept at the activity site and be easily accessible to persons who are engaging in an activity conducted at the activity site. Information regarding the requirements of the permit and the Act duties must be included in site induction and training information. |
| PER_G02 | You must immediately notify the Authority by calling 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842) in the event of: a) A discharge, emission or deposit which gives rise to, or may give rise to, actual or potential harm to human health or the environment; b) A malfunction, breakdown or failure of risk control measures at the site which could reasonably be expected to give rise to actual or potential harm to human health or the environment; or c) Any breach of the permit. |
| PER_G03 | You must notify the Authority within 48 hours of the occurrence of any the following: (a) Any change to your name or address (including your registered address and site as applicable); or (b) A change to an officer (as defined in the Act). You must update the EPA Interaction Portal if any other relevant administrative details for your business change. |
| PER_G04a | You must provide the Authority with a Permission Information and Performance Statement (PIPS) in the form determined by the Authority within 2 months of receiving notification in writing from the Authority. The PIPS may be released to the public (in whole or in part). |
| PER_G04b | Information and monitoring records used for the preparation of, inclusion in, or support of, any reporting or notification that is required of you by the Authority (including data reporting, performance reporting, documents evidencing any risk and monitoring program) must be: a) retained for five years; and b) made available to the Authority on request. |
| PER_G05 | 1. You must develop a risk management and monitoring program for your activities which: (a) identifies all the risks of harm to human health and the environment which may arise from the activities you are engaging in at your activity site; (b) clearly defines your environmental performance objectives; (c) clearly defines your risk control performance objectives; (d) describes how the environmental and risk control performance objectives are being achieved; (e) identifies and describes how you will continue to eliminate or minimise the risks in 1(a) (above) so far as reasonably practicable (SFARP); and (f) describes how the information collated in compliance with this clause, is or will be disseminated, used or otherwise considered by you or any other entity. 2. The risk management and monitoring program must be: (a) documented in writing; (b) signed by a duly authorised officer of the licensed entity; and (c) made available to the Authority on request. |
| PER_G06 | You must: (a) by [placeholder1], provide the Authority with a financial assurance in a form and for an amount determined by the Authority; and (b) maintain such financial assurance (including any part of such assurance) so that it can be claimed on, utilised or realised by the Authority as and when required. |
| PER_G06.01 (specific) | You must: (a) prior to receiving waste at the site, provide the Authority with a financial assurance in a form and for an amount determined by the Authority; and (b) maintain such financial assurance (including any part of such assurance) so that it can be claimed on, utilised or realised by the Authority as and when required. |
| PER_WR02 | For all wastes of a type listed in Appendix 4, you must keep records of: a) incoming and outgoing movements of waste; b) the current location of waste at your activity site; and c) the waste type of any waste located at your activity site. These records must be retained for five years and be made available to the Authority on request. |
| PER_WR03 | You must not store more than [placeholder1] of all wastes at the activity site at one time. The method for calculating this volume must be agreed to in writing with the Authority. |
| PER_WR04 | Wastes must only be stored in the allotted bays as per Appendix 2 of this permit. |
| PER_WR05 | All wastes whether commingled, separated, sorted or otherwise must be managed so as the maximum temperature within any waste is not above 90 degrees Celsius when stored. |
| PER_WR06 (specific) | You must ensure all buildings involved in the receival, storage and processing of waste are maintained under negative pressure. |
| PER_WR07 | You must prepare an emergency management plan which: (a) Includes details of the following matters: (i) Actions to be taken during and immediately after a pollution incident; (ii) Safety equipment stored on the activity site to control a pollution incident (and details of routine inspections and regular maintenance of such equipment); (iii) Contact information for the individuals on site responsible for managing the response to a pollution incident; (iv) The procedure for notifying surrounding sites and relevant agencies of the pollution incident; (v) A map of the activity site and surrounding areas (including sensitive receptors) that could be potentially impacted during a pollution incident; (vi) Emergency response training which has been provided to all persons involved in the activities conducted at the activity site; and (vii) Identification of all persons involved in activities at the activity site who have completed emergency response and other relevant training applicable to responding to a pollution incident; (b) is reviewed and, if necessary, revised and updated whenever the hazards, risks or contact details of relevant persons change at the activity site; (c) must be made available to the Authority on request; and (d) must be reviewed by a suitably qualified person. |
| PER_WM01.01 | You must ensure that: a) Only waste of a type shown in Appendix 4 of this permit is accepted at the activity site, except where waste is received in accordance with a permission, determination or designation issued by the Authority under the Environment Protection Act 2017 or regulations made pursuant to that Act; and b) if any waste is received at the activity site that is not in accordance with a) (above), that this waste is placed in a designated and clearly sign-posted temporary storage area and is transported to a site which is authorised to receive this waste within 21 days of the date it was received. |
| PER_WM02 | All plant and equipment must be maintained and operated in proper working condition, in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. |
| PER_WM05 | You must maintain an effective method of security which prevents unauthorised access. |
| PER_WM06 | You must maintain onsite fire fighting equipment and access to water supplies that are capable of controlling and extinguishing a fire at the activity site. |
| PER_WM07 | You must store and manage waste in a manner which minimises the risk of fires. |
Conditions for development licences are specific for each licence.
Manage your licence or permit
To amend, transfer or surrender your licence or permit, visit Manage your permission.
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