Waste Management Association of Australia QLD outlines priorities

circular economy group

The Waste Management Association of Australia’s Queensland branch (WMAA) has produced its policy priorities for the state government to consider ahead of the election.

The 2017 Queensland state election will be held on 25 November 2017, and WMAA made a series of recommendations in a statement last week, with a focus on adhering to the waste hierarchy and supporting a circular economy.

In the statement, WMAA described Queensland as one of the largest generators and poorest diverters of waste from landfill. The absence of a comprehensive strategy has resulted in Queensland maintaining a ‘take, make, and dispose’ approach to waste and resource recovery, WMAA argued.

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“There is a real opportunity for Queensland to introduce policy settings that will support the return of materials back to the economy instead of to landfill,” said Gayle Sloan, WMAA CEO.

“The current linear approach adversely impacts Queensland in making it difficult for resource recovery industries to invest, depriving Queensland of the opportunity to create new jobs.”

WMAA Queensland outlined a number of key policy positions, including to comprehensively review the state’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy 2014, and implement a strategy that supports the waste hierarchy. The Queensland branch also called to develop a comprehensive waste and resource recovery infrastructure strategy.

Among the recommendations was a call for a “reinvestment into landfill levy” from the government to avoid the unnecessary transportation of waste.

The statement called on the government to mandate sustainable state and local government procurement policies which prioritises the purchase of goods with recycled content.

In the area of landfilling, WMAA called for the development and implementation of best practice guidelines. It also recommended more opportunities for food waste and green waste recycling from the municipal solid waste stream through financial assistance to councils and a host of other measures.

Read the full statement on WMAA’s website.

 

 

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