The Victorian Government is helping communities affected by the February 2024 emergency events. The government has removed charges to dispose of disaster waste. The waste levy for disposal of disaster waste to landfill will be waived. Gate fees will be covered for landfills and transfer stations. This means all disaster waste can be disposed of free of charge.

Find out if the waiver applies to you  at Free disposal of bushfire and storm waste until 30 April 2024.

Disaster waste is any material:

  • deposited on a property by the emergency events of 13 February 2024
  • damaged by the emergency events of 13 February 2024.

Information for residents

People living in areas hit by the disaster should dispose their disaster waste at a council operated waste transfer station. 

There are requirements for taking waste to a transfer station or a landfill. You will need to provide evidence of your address like a driver’s licence or recent rate notice. You will not have to pay a gate fee for disposing of the waste.

Information for landfills

Waste levy waiver

Information on the received disaster waste will need to be provided on Waste Levy Statements submitted to EPA. Landfill operators should use a subcode at the weighbridge to group incoming waste loads as disaster waste and subject to the waiver.

Gate fee rebate

You can claim a rebate to cover gate fee costs for those disposing of disaster waste to landfill from the affected local government areas. 

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action will contact landfill operators to discuss tracking and payment of the gate fee rebate.

You will need to get information from the producer and transporter to confirm the waste is from an affected area. Residents disposing of waste should provide proof of address like a driver's license or a recent rates notice.

If you have received waste from a transfer station, you will need:

  • a declaration from the transfer station that the waste is disaster waste from an eligible LGA 
  • consignment details showing the source of the waste originating from:
    • one of the affected LGAs
    • contractors acting on behalf of emergency response agencies
    • councils or government departments.

Information for transfer stations

You can claim a gate fee rebate for accepting disaster waste at a transfer stations (both private and council operated). The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action is contacting transfer stations to discuss this.

You are responsible for checking that waste received and transported to a landfill is disaster waste. A driver’s licence or rates notice needs to be checked to verify the waste is disaster waste from an affected local government area.

Disaster waste should be sorted and stored for transport to a landfill, to avoid mixed loads.

Landfill operators will request evidence from transfer stations and waste transporters to verify the waste is disaster waste. A declaration that the waste is disaster waste from an affected local government area should be provided. 

Consignment details will also need to be provided to the landfill. This will need to show the source of the waste from an affected local government area or contractors acting on behalf of emergency response agencies, councils or government departments.

Using Waste Tracker to track disaster waste

The duty to track disaster waste that is classified as reportable priority waste will remain, unless otherwise advised by EPA. For that reason, you must continue using Waste Tracker as usual.

To track the disaster waste that is RPW, producers, drivers and receivers should enter the code WLW16022024 in the additional information section of the waste record. All waste must be appropriately classified.

 

Reviewed 1 March 2024