How to apply for a licence

• 1 to 4: Applicant type, applicant details, suitability to hold a permission

  Topics 1 to 4 in the licence application establish the type of application you want and who’s applying for it. Also, if you meet the criteria to hold an EPA permission.

  1. Application details:

  • select ‘new’ from the drop-down menu.

  2. Application type:

  • select ‘licence’ from the drop-down menu.

  3. Applicant details:

  • provide your name and contact details of permission applicants
  • provide the company’s details, including ABN and ACN (if applicable)

  4. Suitability to hold a permission:

  • completed and ready to attach prohibited person form
  • completed and ready to attach fit and proper person form.

• 5 to 7: Scheduled permission activity, location and waste information

  These questions establish the specific activity that you need a licence for and the location where it will occur. Within this, if your activity involves receiving or transporting waste you must also provide the relevant waste code. This information is important as it identifies the waste that you will receive or transport.

  5. Scheduled permission activity:

  • select your relevant activity category:
    • waste treatment, disposal, transport and recycling
    • primary industry and allied operations
    • extractive industry and mining
    • animal derived by-products and food
    • textiles
    • wood and wood derivatives
    • chemicals including petroleum
    • non-metallic mineral
    • metals and engineering
    • printing
  • select your relevant scheduled activity from the drop-down menu. Find a list of the operating licence activities authorised by EPA on Types of licences
  • provide a summary of your scheduled activity (1000 word limit).

  6. Activity locations:

  • Provide details as to whether your activity is operating at a fixed location or is mobile. Your activity might be mobile if you transport waste or if you conduct it at multiple locations.
  • If fixed select:
    • the ‘add a location’ button
    • your location on the map or by typing into the search box in the map. You can add additional details (for example a shed or unit number if you are in an industrial estate) in the unstructured address field. 

  Note: After selecting your location, you can add additional details (for example your shop number if you are in a shopping centre) in the unstructured address field.

  7. Waste Information:

  • If you are applying for a waste-related permission, please select the appropriate waste codes and associated amounts, forms and disposal categories from the drop-down menu.

  For more information on your obligations regarding receiving or transporting industrial waste, see Waste duties. For information on waste codes, see Waste codes transition to the Environment Protection Regulations 2021 (publication 1967).

• 8 to 11: Proposed activity, risk assessment, risk management, community engagement

  These questions ask for details of your proposed activity. For example, how you are undertaking it and what processes, systems and technologies are you using? Also, how are you going to eliminate or reduce any potential impact on human health or the environment. This includes consideration of reducing impact, as far as reasonably practicable. Lastly, how you’re going to manage any residual impacts.

  8. Proposed activity

  Topic 8 requires you to provide details for the following.

  Process and technology:

  • Summary of the background environmental condition – include siting consideration and surrounding sensitive receptors
  • Is the construction, installation or modification of plant or equipment required? Yes, or no?
  • Describe the processes or systems you will develop to perform the activity
  • Is this a new activity or a modification of an existing activity?
  • Outline your experience and competency in performing the activity.
  • Is the proposed activity a research, development or demonstration activity as part of a Pilot project?
  • Summary of measures used to comply with the general environmental duty.
  • Summary of measures considered as best available techniques or technologies.
  • Summary of greenhouse gas emissions generated from this activity.
  • Summary of systems and processes to prevent or minimise greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Summary of potential impacts from climate change on the activity and related adaptation methods.

  Waste:

  • Summary of how you’re managing waste in line with the waste management hierarchy.
  • Detail the systems and processes used to minimise risks of harm to human health and the environment from the handling, storage, use and transportation of substances.

  9. Risk assessment

  The application asks you to demonstrate that you have used an appropriate and proportionate risk assessment approach to assess the likely environmental risk associated with the activity. This is particularly around the generation of waste as well as the management of the risk of pollution to human health.

  Topic 9 requires you to provide details for the following.

  Human health and the environment:

  • Summary of the risk assessment identifying risks to human health and the environment. For more guidance, see Assessing and controlling risk: A guide for business (publication 1695)
  • Summary of how you’re eliminating or reducing identified risks as far as reasonably practicable.

  Environmental management:

  • Summary of environmental management systems used to prevent or minimise impact on the environment.
  • Will you undertake an environmental audit related to the activity? Yes or no.
  • Summary of post-closure plans, including aftercare management, decommissioning and rehabilitation.

  10. Risk management

  Where you’ve identified and assessed risks, the following section asks for information on the systems and controls that you’re adopting. More specifically it looks at managing risks related to: 

  • Air:
    • Summary of the activity's emissions to air.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts from air emissions.
  • Noise:
    • Summary of the activity's noise emissions.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts from noise emissions.
  • Water:
    • Summary of the activity's emissions to surface waters.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts to surface water.
  • Land and groundwater:
    • Summary of the activity's emissions to land or groundwater.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts to land and groundwater.
  • Odour:
    • Summary of the activity's emissions of odour.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts from odour emissions.
  • Waste
    • Does your activity include management or control of industrial waste, priority waste and/or reportable priority waste?
    • Detail of the type, quantity and treatment of waste.
    • Is the proposed activity included in a relevant schedule of a Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Implementation Plan?
  • Human health:
    • Summary of the activity's potential human health impacts.
    • Summary of the systems and processes to prevent or minimise impacts to human health.

  11. Community engagement

  The application asks if you’ve engaged with the community and other third parties regarding your activity, as follows:

  • Summarise any planned or completed consultation, as well as concerns raised and the approach to address them.

• 12 to 15: Additional details, supporting evidence, application summary, submit and pay

  12. Additional details

  This section seeks information on regulatory engagement and permissions or approvals from other authorities, such as planning or catchment management authorities, other government authorities and also with the EPA. For example, previously holding a pilot project licence, emergency authorisation or exemption for this or another activity.

  Topic 12 requires you to provide details for the following.

  Other permissions and compliance:

  • any previous EPA permissions held
  • any currently held EPA permissions or authorisations
  • any currently held exemptions
  • any engagement with other regulatory authorities
  • any other required planning permits or approvals
  • any notices from EPA related to this location or activity.

  Other approvals:

  • Do you require a proof of performance testing plan?
  • Do you require financial assurance?

  13. Supporting evidence

  You need to attach any supporting evidence. In the field provided, give a summary of what you’re attaching including:

  • file titles
  • any document references.

  Here, you need to declare:

  • the information you provided in the application is the truth
  • you agree to perform your activity in accordance with the general environment duty (GED)
  • you will eliminate or reduce any risks related to your activity so far as reasonably practicable.

  During the assessment of your application, we may require additional information. We will contact you if this is the case.

  14. Application summary

  You can review your complete application at this step. If you identify any changes required, use the back button on the page to move back through the application steps.

  15. Submit and pay

  You will be given an application ID when you submit your application, it’s useful to record this number for future reference.

  To finalise your application, you may need to pay an application fee. If so, you will be presented with three options:

  1. Return to dashboard – this keeps the application in draft status and returns you to your permissions dashboard.
  2. Submit and pay later – this submits the application to EPA and triggers an invoice to be sent to the key contact on the application via email. The invoice will need to be paid before the application will be assessed.
  3. Submit and pay now – this takes you to EPA’s online payment gateway that enables you to pay the application fee via credit card.

• Application resources for A13a

  Check you have provided all the required information before submitting your A13a licence application online. The list of required attachments is available on how to apply for a licence or permit for a waste resource and recovery activity.