Manage PFAS-contaminated materials and waste

If you urgently need to manage PFAS-contaminated waste and cannot find the information you need on this page, contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of manufactured chemicals.

The information on this page is based on the Commonwealth PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP)(opens in a new window). The NEMP provides more information on:

the preferred hierarchy of treatment and remediation options
storing and containing PFAS-contaminated material on site.

The NEMP has been developed as an adaptive plan. It is regularly updated in response to emerging research and knowledge.

When options are limited for treatment or disposal

The NEMP provides more information on the preferred hierarchy of treatment and remediation options. You should follow the NEMP hierarchy where possible.

Minimise the volume of PFAS-contaminated soils, sediments or industrial waste where possible.

Store the waste on site

It may be appropriate to store PFAS-contaminated soils, sediments and industrial waste on site – either temporarily or longer term – to minimise the risk of PFAS becoming mobilised and to prevent environmental impact.

If you are managing PFAS waste on site, you must also comply with the general environmental duty and the duty to manage contaminated land.

When you consider storage options, you must consider various pathways for migrating the PFAS into the environment. If you are constructing a purpose-built containment facility, you may need a permission.

The NEMP provides more information about onsite storage and containment of PFAS-contaminated material.

Solid PFAS-contaminated waste

Examples of solid waste are:

contaminated soil
demolition waste
other solid industrial waste.

Follow the treatment and remediation options in the NEMP. It outlines the following hierarchy:

1. Separate, treat and destroy the contaminated waste

Treat the contaminated waste – on site or off site – so that the waste is destroyed, the contamination is removed or the associated risk is reduced to an acceptable level.

2. Encapsulate the waste on site

If the source site is hydrogeologically appropriate, you may be able to encapsulate the waste on site in engineered facilities. This may include immobilisation.

You can do this if it will acceptably manage risk to the onsite and offsite environmental values (direct and indirect). This includes risks to soils, surface water and groundwater.

3. Remove the waste to landfill

You can dispose of solid PFAS waste to a specific landfill cell in some cases (see the following section). However, you may need to treat the waste first.

This may include immobilisation. You may need a permission to conduct immobilisation before landfill disposal. Note that conditions in the landfill may reverse or diminish the immobilisation chemistry in ways that are difficult to predict.

The EPA Designation – Classification of PFAS impacted soils(opens in a new window) provides a legal pathway for reuse of waste soil containing PFAS below 0.004 mg (4 micrograms) per kilogram, comprising:

PFOS below 0.002 mg/kg
PFHxS below 0.001 mg/kg
PFOA below 0.001 mg/kg

Soil that is only contaminated with PFAS below the concentrations set out in the designation is classified as fill material.

This is a conservative approach to PFAS-contaminated soil for reuse. It is based on current understanding of science and risk.

More information on classifying waste contaminated by PFAS can be found in the NEMP.

Disposal of PFAS-contaminated solid waste to landfill

This is not the preferred management option. Follow the hierarchy of treatment and remediation options in the NEMP when considering options to manage PFAS-contaminated solid waste.

In some instances, if there are no other possible management options available, PFAS-contaminated solid waste may be disposed of to landfill.

PFAS-contaminated waste is reportable priority waste. It can be accepted at landfill in line with the waste thresholds. If you detect any substance in your waste that is not listed in the waste thresholds, you must apply for a designation.

When determining whether PFAS-contaminated material can be accepted at landfill, we consider the landfill acceptance criteria detailed in the NEMP.

For queries about disposing of PFAS-contaminated solid waste to landfill, contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au.

Designations

If you need a designation for PFAS-contaminated waste for landfill disposal, you can apply through our portal(opens in a new window). Visit apply for a designation for guidance on preparing your application.

We may arrange a meeting to discuss the classification process and to understand the waste stream. We let you know what data we need and may request more information.

For queries about designations, contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au.

Waste contractors that can treat PFAS-contaminated waste

If a waste contractor advises you that they can treat PFAS waste, we recommend you check that they can demonstrate their ability to effectively destroy or permanently capture PFAS.

If you’re not sure, contact us for advice on 1300 372 842 or contact@epa.vic.gov.au

We consult with waste treatment and disposal industries to identify companies that can appropriately treat PFAS-contaminated waste.

If you're a waste contractor and you're treating PFAS-contaminated waste, read the information on this page. Then contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au to discuss your obligations. We may ask you to provide evidence that your treatment is effective.

The NEMP lists technologies that can be used to treat PFAS-contaminated waste. For solid waste, this includes thermal treatment and soil washing. For liquid waste, this includes reverse osmosis, adsorption and foam separation.

Our Validation of PFAS soil treatment technologies: technical guide has guidance to help plan and put in place soil treatment technologies for PFAS. It supports the use of innovative PFAS soil treatment technologies. It provides:

guidance on assessing the feasibility of PFAS soil treatment technologies
a framework to confirm the effectiveness of PFAS soil treatment technologies.

Liquid PFAS-contaminated waste

PFAS-contaminated liquid waste (such as aqueous film forming foam) cannot yet be treated through common trade waste treatment processes. These processes do not effectively capture or destroy PFAS.

PFAS-contaminated liquid waste requires specialist treatment to capture and destroy PFAS contaminants. If the waste is not treated appropriately, the PFAS is likely to be discharged to the environment.

When discussing options for the treatment of PFAS-contaminated liquid waste, you should question:

whether the technologies used will capture PFAS
how the captured PFAS will be managed.

Treatment companies should tell you:

the details of their process
what percentage of the PFAS they capture
how they manage or destroy the captured PFAS.

Disposal of landfill leachate containing PFAS to sewer

Through sampling and analysis of landfill leachate, we have found that leachate disposal to a sewer contributes minor amounts of PFAS to the overall PFAS within the sewer.

At present, on this basis, we do not believe that landfill leachate should be restricted from being discharged to sewer. We recommend you conduct ongoing sampling and analysis of PFAS concentrations in leachate from all landfills to continue to assess PFAS trends.

Where your landfill has elevated PFAS concentrations or discharges very large volumes of leachate containing PFAS to sewer, you must consider treatment to remove PFAS and must consult the water authority.

Disposal of PFAS-contaminated liquid waste to sewer

Disposal of PFAS-contaminated liquid waste to sewer is not a suitable option. This is because the PFAS is likely to be released into waterways or to contaminate biosolids.

You should treat any PFAS-contaminated liquid waste to capture and remove the PFAS before discharging to sewer.

If you propose to discharge trade waste that includes PFAS-contaminated liquids to sewer, you must get approval from the relevant water authority. You must make it explicit to the water authority that the liquid waste contains PFAS.

The water authority will determine if this discharge is acceptable. They may require information about:

concentrations of PFAS in the liquid
the treatment you propose to use to capture and remove the PFAS.

Transporting PFAS-contaminated waste interstate for treatment

If you propose to move PFAS-contaminated waste out of Victoria, you must get a consignment authorisation from the relevant agency in the receiving state or territory jurisdiction.

You must also comply with all other relevant regulatory requirements – for example, getting a permission to transport waste, using Waste Tracker and getting any other approvals you need to transport waste interstate.

If you want to transport solid reportable priority waste (including soil) from Victoria to another state or territory, you must get a permit for A12 – Transporting waste out of Victoria.

Bringing PFAS-contaminated waste into Victoria for treatment

If you propose to move PFAS-contaminated waste into Victoria, you must get a consignment authorisation from the relevant agency in the state or territory where the waste was generated.

You must also comply with all other relevant regulatory requirements – for example, getting a permission to transport reportable priority waste, using Waste Tracker and getting any other approvals you need to transport waste interstate.

If you want to to transport reportable priority waste into Victoria, you must get a permit for A11 – Transporting controlled waste into Victoria.

Permissions to treat or store PFAS-contaminated waste

If you don't know what permission you need to manage PFAS-contaminated waste, complete and submit our permission pathway form. Detail your proposed treatment and/or storage activities. We advise what permission (if any) you need.

Regardless of the outcome of this process, we work with you to make sure PFAS-contaminated waste is managed appropriately to protect the environment and human health.

Waste code for PFAS-contaminated waste

PFAS-contaminated waste is given the waste code M270.

For thresholds for the categories of PFAS-contaminated waste (including soil), visit Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds. If you detect types of PFAS that are not listed, you must apply for a designation for that waste.

If your facility is currently accepting PFAS-contaminated waste under a general waste code, contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au to discuss your obligations.

Water authority trade waste agreements

If you're a water authority and you're accepting PFAS-contaminated trade waste, read the information on this page. Then contact us on 1300 372 842 or permissions@epa.vic.gov.au to discuss your obligations.

We ask you to demonstrate that your treatment is effective.

PFAS contamination is also likely to impact your ability to reuse your biosolids in the future.

Reuse of PFAS-contaminated waste

The NEMP contains a section on reuse of PFAS-contaminated materials. Refer to this before contacting us to discuss appropriate reuse options.

Where soil meets the requirements set out in Table 3 in Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds, it can be reused as fill.

PFOS below 0.002 mg/kg
PFHxS below 0.001 mg/kg
PFOA below 0.001 mg/kg