Charities that need to dispose of unwanted or illegally dumped goods can now get funding through a new government initiative to offset some of the landfill cost.
The WA Government launched Charitable Recyclers Rebate program on 21 June, which is designed to help charities recover some of the cost of discarding unusable donations that have been dumped at charitable clothing bins.
WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the program would provide an estimated $300,000 a year to eligible charitable recyclers to meet the cost of the landfill levy.
Applications are now open for eligible organisations to claim the discount. Requests will be assessed quarterly and the first round closes 28 July.
Mr Jacob said the program recognised the substantial costs charities incurred to dispose of household goods that could not be reused or recycled.
“Many unusable and unrecyclable items are dropped off at clothing recycling bins with good intentions, however a lot of waste dumped illegally at these locations needs to be removed,” said the minister.
“This waste has the potential to cause health hazards and environmental harm, and also attracts antisocial or low-level crime activities. It also costs the charity $60 a tonne to take to a landfill site, and this is money they could spend on helping needy people.”
The Charitable Recyclers Rebate Program is the first of two government initiatives to tackle illegal dumping at charities.
The Charitable Recyclers Dumping Reduction Program will be launched later this year. This will help fund organisations to implement measures such as improved lighting, fencing and educational material, to reduce illegal dumping of unusable items at bins and premises.
Guidelines and application forms for the landfill levy rebate are available on the WA Waste Authority website.