When you need a licence 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.
Under the Regulations, you need a permission to reprocess glass.
If your design capacity to reprocess glass is greater than 10,000 tonnes per year, you need a H05b – Glass works (large reprocessing) development and operating licence.
Exemptions
Under some circumstances, you can apply for a development licence exemption or an operating licence exemption.
Related activities
If your design capacity to reprocess glass is less than or equal to 10,000 tonnes per year, you need a H05c – Glass works (small reprocessing) registration.
To manufacture glass by melting raw materials, you need a H05a – Glass works (manufacturing) licence.
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 an operating licence.
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:
- a comprehensive description of the proposed process, throughput, design and layout
- details of how you minimised energy usage and selected plant throughout your process
- a description and details of how solid and liquid wastes will be managed and disposed of – including the sources of the waste glass
- details of any proposed design mitigation measures and operational procedures and controls to minimise potential risks
- an outline of your risk monitoring and management program
- an assessment that shows the activity will not lead to an unacceptable risk of harm to the environment or human health
- a greenhouse gas emission assessment
- an air quality impact assessment – methods provided in Assess and minimise air pollution from your business
- a noise impact assessment using Noise limit and assessment protocol for the control of noise from commercial, industrial and trade premises and entertainment venues including low frequency noise
- fire risk assessment and management plan – visit Manage fire risk and your business
- a respirable crystalline silica risk assessment and details of how you will minimise and management risks – visit Worksafe Victoria for more information.
In preparing your application you need to demonstrate how you’ve eliminated or reduced risks of harm to human health and environment so far as reasonably practicable considering best available techniques or technologies.
You need to show that you have considered:
- appropriate separation distance to sensitive receptors
- how energy usage will be minimised through:
- selection of energy efficient burners
- recovery of heat for other uses on-site
- motor efficiency
- adoption of renewable energy technologies or renewable energy electrical suppliers
- air and dust emission minimisation and management from sources such as:
- MBTC – monobutyltin chloride used as a surface coating to strengthen bottles
- selenium – when used to adjust glass colour
- dust and particulates
- combustion emissions from furnaces
- noise from any furnaces, plant and trucks
- generation and subsequent management and reuse and or disposal of oily emulsified wastewater
- discharge of contaminated stormwater to drains
- potential land and groundwater contamination around storage areas
- fire risk and management of stored waste glass.
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 licence is valid for
If we issued your operating licence before 1 July 2021, there's no expiry date. If we issued it after 1 July 2021, then your licence is valid for:
- up to 99 years for a waste management activity at a current or former landfill site
- up to 20 years in any other case.
The duration of a development licence depends on the activity. This is stated in a condition when we issue the licence. To extend the duration, you must apply for an amendment.
How we assess your application
Find out how we assess your application and how long it takes.
Operating licence 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 |
OL_G01 | A copy of this licence 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 licence and the Act duties must be included in site induction and training information. |
OL_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 activity 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 licence. |
OL_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 activity site as applicable); (b) You become, or are likely to become, an insolvent under administration; (c) You become, or are likely to become, an externally administered company under the Corporations Act; or (d) A change to an officer (as defined in the Act). You must update your information in the EPA Interaction Portal if any other relevant administrative details for your business change. |
OL_G04a | You must provide to 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). |
OL_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. |
OL_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. |
OL_G07 | You must: (a) develop and maintain a decommissioning plan that is in accordance with the current decommissioning guidelines published by the Authority; (b) provide the decommissioning plan to the Authority upon request; (c) supply to the Authority an updated detailed decommissioning plan 40 business days prior to commencement of decommissioning, if you propose to divest a section of the licensed site, cease part or all of the licensed activity or reduce the basis upon which the licence was granted to a point where licensing is no longer required; and (d) decommission the licensed site in accordance with the detailed decommissioning plan, to the satisfaction of the Authority and within any reasonable timeframe which may be specified by the Authority. |
OL_WM01 | You can store up to [placeholder1] at the activity site at any time. |
OL_WM04 | You must ensure that waste does not burn at the activity site. |
OL_WM11 | 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. |
OL_WM14 | All plant and equipment must be maintained and operated in proper working condition, in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications. |
Manage your licence
To amend, transfer or surrender your licence, visit Manage your permission.
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