Transport industrial waste

Your obligations when transporting industrial, priority and reportable priority waste.

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Transporting waste can pose a risk to human health and the environment if the waste is not properly managed and handled.

If you transport waste, you must meet the general environmental duty. This means taking reasonably practicable steps to minimise risks of harm to human health and the environment.

When transporting waste, reasonably practicable steps include:

  • safely containing waste
  • carrying only compatible wastes on the same vehicle
  • planning ahead to deal with possible spills
  • keeping spill kits on trucks and training drivers to use them.

If you’re a driver, you must complete training to make sure you understand how to:

  • safely handle the waste you carry
  • meet the waste duties.

If you transport industrial waste, you have other obligations and duties to meet. These depend on whether you're transporting industrial waste, priority waste or reportable priority waste.

You must only transport waste to a place that is authorised to receive it (lawful place).

To learn more about transporting waste in and out of Victoria, visit Transport waste interstate.

To learn more about your duties as a waste producer, refer to Managing industrial waste – Your duties as a waste producer.

Transport priority waste

You must take reasonable steps to safely contain and isolate priority waste for resource recovery. This includes when transporting waste.

You should clearly label the waste to identify the waste type and the risks to human health and the environment.

If you are transporting multiple loads of priority waste, you must not mix, blend or dilute the waste in a way that changes the waste classification, unless we issue a designation permitting it.

Transport reportable priority waste

For most reportable priority waste, you must:

  • track the waste using Waste Tracker
  • get a permission to transport the waste.

There may be exceptions to this. Check the waste classification to see which requirements apply.

To transport reportable priority waste, you must get a permission:

Under the duty to notify of transaction in reportable priority waste, you must let us know by recording in Waste Tracker every time the waste changes hands – for example, from producer to transporter and from transporter to receiver.

These requirements do not apply if the net load is less than 50 litres and the waste is being transported for no fee or reward.

Check if your vehicle meets vehicle safety standards for transporting industrial waste.

Transport waste that is also dangerous goods

Some waste is also classified as dangerous goods under the Dangerous Goods Act 1985.

Dangerous goods can cause explosions, fires, serious injury, death and large-scale damage. Examples include:

  • asbestos
  • combustible waste
  • corrosives, such as hydrochloric acid
  • explosives
  • flammable liquids, such as petrol, kerosene, turpentine and flammable paints
  • flammable gases, such as LP gas
  • non-flammable non-toxic gases.

When transporting dangerous goods, you must meet requirements in relation to:

  • signs on your vehicle
  • stowing, loading and restraining loads
  • documents about the waste on board.

When you transport industrial waste under an A10a permit or A10b registration, the permission conditions align with dangerous goods transport requirements – for example:

  • making sure the driver has completed dangerous goods training
  • following load restraint requirements
  • maintaining documentation on board for emergency services in the event of an accident
  • appropriately placarding the vehicle.

For more information about transporting dangerous goods, visit Dangerous goods(opens in a new window) on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

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