Good waste management helps to keep farms healthy, safe and productive. Managing or disposing of farm waste the wrong way can cause contamination and pollution.
Waste from farms can include:
- asbestos
- animal faeces, litter or manure
- building materials, such as concrete, bricks, metal and tiles
- chemicals and chemical containers
- dairy effluent
- dead stock
- green waste
- oil and oil filters
- silage or feed wrapping and hay band or twine
- waste tyres.
Farm waste and the law
Waste from farms can be industrial waste and must be disposed of at a place authorised to receive it. To learn more, visit Understand your waste obligations and duties.
The general environmental duty applies to all activities involving farm waste. Other duties that may also apply include:
If an incident harms or threatens to harm human health or the environment, the duty to notify Authority of a notifiable incident may apply. You can report a pollution incident at your farm.
If you're responsible for a pollution incident from your waste activities, the duty to take action to respond to harm caused by pollution incident may apply to you.
Permissions
In some cases, you must get a permission to conduct activities related to farm waste. Our permissions focus on activities that may have a significant impact on human health and the environment. Permissions have conditions that must be followed.
Activities related to farm waste that need a permission include:
- A15 – Biosolids supply or use
- B01a – Animal industries (waste solely to land)
- B01b – Animal industries (waste not solely to land)
- B02a – Livestock saleyards or holding pens (waste solely to land)
- B02b – Livestock saleyards or holding pens (waste not solely to land
- B03 – Fish farms
- B04 – Waste tyres in silage production.
If you hold a permission, you must notify us immediately if you breach any condition of your permission. This includes notifying us about any incident that harms or threatens to harm human health or the environment.
Our role in farm waste
We regulate how farm waste is managed, including transport, storage and disposal. Learn more about managing industrial waste.
We support Agriculture Victoria for waste management in some circumstances, such as a disease outbreak. Learn more about Who we work with.
Impact of farm waste on health and the environment
Farm waste can be a risk to human health and the environment. Not managing farm waste properly can:
- contaminate land, produce and waterways
- cause stock injury, disease or death
- cause biosecurity issues
- lead to transmission of diseases in humans
- create breeding sites for mosquitoes, pest animals and predators
- impact trade opportunities
- impact the value of your property
- result in fines and clean-up costs.
Find out how to manage farm waste.
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