In Victoria, waste must be classified so that it's clear what duties apply and how to manage it.
Classifying waste involves:
- looking up the relevant waste code or codes
- identifying the waste as industrial waste, priority waste or reportable priority waste.
For some priority waste, you also need to identify a priority waste category.
You need a priority waste category when you're managing:
- priority waste going to landfill for disposal
- soil that's priority waste.
The priority waste category tells you:
- which landfills can receive the waste
- the waste levy you need to pay to dispose of the waste at a landfill.
If you’re managing soil, the category also tells you if you can treat soil or contain it on a project site. This extends to onsite management options for soil sourced from contaminated land. Find out more about how the priority waste categories apply to soil.
Schedule 6 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021(opens in a new window) sets out the 6 priority waste categories:
- Category A
- Category B
- Category C
- Category D
- soil containing asbestos only
- packaged waste asbestos.
For the criteria used to determine the waste disposal category for different types of industrial waste, refer to Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds.
Occasionally, the priority waste category can place a burden on the person managing or controlling waste. In this case, contact us to discuss if you need a designation.
Waste levy
The priority waste category determines the waste levy. It costs more to dispose of more hazardous waste types.
The exception is asbestos waste. A lower waste levy rate applies to asbestos waste because there's no safe alternative to landfill disposal.
One of the key purposes of the waste levy is to encourage waste generators to reduce the amount of waste they generate and send to landfill. If you manage or control priority waste, you have a duty to investigate alternatives to landfill.
Category A waste
Category A is the most hazardous type of waste.
Under Schedule 6, Category A waste is industrial waste:
- that can be classified as dangerous goods under the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 and falls within one or more of the following UN classes under that Act:
- Class 1 (explosives)
- Class 4 (flammable solids; substances liable to spontaneous combustion; substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases)
- Class 5 (oxidising substances and organic peroxides)
- Class 6 (toxic and infectious substances)
- Class 8 (corrosive substances), or
- that generates gases that can be classified as UN Division 2.3 (toxic gases) dangerous goods under the Dangerous Goods Actwhen it comes into contact with air or water, or
- with any contaminant concentration greater than the upper limits for Category B waste contaminant concentrations specified in the Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds, or
- with any leachable concentration greater than the upper limits for Category B waste leachable concentrations specified in the Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds, or
- that's specified as Category A waste under regulation 67 of the Environment Protection Regulations, or
- for which the EPA has issued a designation classifying the waste as Category A waste.
For this type of waste:
- you cannot send it to landfill
- you can take it – including soil – off site to a place authorised to receive it (lawful place) and treat it to reduce contaminants.
Once treated, the waste may be reclassified and managed as less hazardous Category B, C or D waste.
Category B waste
Category B waste – including soil – has contaminants:
- greater than the upper limit for Category C in Table 2 of Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds
- below the upper limit for Category B in Table 2.
If you’re sending the waste to a landfill, the landfill must be authorised to accept Category B waste.
Category C waste
Category C waste – including soil – has contaminants:
- greater than the upper limit for Category D/industrial waste in Table 2 of Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds
- below the upper limit for Category C in Table 2.
If you’re sending the waste to a landfill, the landfill must be authorised to accept Category C waste.
Contain Category A, B and C soils on site
You can contain Category A, B and C soils on site in volumes under 1,000 m3. You must meet the general environmental duty to eliminate or reduce risk of harm to human health or the environment, so far as reasonably practicable.
To store volumes of Category A, B or C waste soil greater than 1,000 m3 on site, you must get an L02 – Contaminated sites (onsite soil retention) licence.
We can put a site management order on the land title for ongoing management.
Category D soil
Category D applies only to soil. Category D covers the least hazardous soils.
You can apply for an A17 – Containment of Category D waste soil permit to safely contain Category D soil on the site at which it was generated.
Soil containing asbestos only
Not all waste soil containing asbestos falls into this category.
This category only applies to soil that:
- contains asbestos, and
- does not have contaminant concentrations greater than the upper limit for fill material in Table 3 of Waste disposal categories – characteristics and thresholds.
If the contaminant concentrations are higher than the upper limit for fill material, the soil is Category A, B, C or D.
Manage soil containing asbestos only
Soil containing asbestos only is reportable priority waste. It must go to a place authorised to receive it. Soil containing asbestos only can be:
- contained on site
- sent to a landfill authorised to accept soil with asbestos.
Contain soil containing asbestos only
You can contain this type of soil on site in volumes under 1,000 m3. You must meet the general environmental duty to eliminate or reduce risk of harm from your waste or pollution, so far as reasonably practicable.
To store volumes greater than 1,000 m3 on site, you must get an L02 – Contaminated sites (onsite soil retention) licence.
We can put a site management order on the land title for ongoing management.
Transport soil containing asbestos only
Soil containing asbestos only is:
- reportable priority waste (transactions) – this means any time the soil changes hands, you must track it in Waste Tracker
- reportable priority waste (transport) – this means you must transport the waste in a registered vehicle.
Packaged waste asbestos
Packaged waste asbestos is waste asbestos that has been wrapped to stop airborne asbestos fibres from escaping. This helps with safe transport and disposal.
This priority waste category does not apply to soil containing asbestos.
Manage packaged waste asbestos
Packaged waste asbestos is reportable priority waste. You can only send it to a landfill authorised to accept asbestos.
You can transport packaged waste asbestos to a site authorised to store asbestos. The site you take it to must have either:
- A01 – Reportable priority waste management operating licence
- A22 Temporary storage (asbestos) registration.
Transfer stations and public utility depots can temporarily store less than 10 m3 of double-wrapped non-friable asbestos with an A22 Temporary storage (asbestos) registration. The asbestos must go to a landfill authorised to accept asbestos within 60 days of arriving at the site.
For more information, visit Manage asbestos waste.
Transport packaged waste asbestos
Packaged waste asbestos is:
- reportable priority waste (transactions) – this means any time the soil changes hands, you must track it in Waste Tracker
- reportable priority waste (transport) – this means you must transport the waste in a registered vehicle.
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