The Palaszczuk Government is continuing the war on waste with the waste levy coming into effect on Monday.
Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch said from July 1, Queensland will be brought in line with the rest of the country in waste management.
Visiting a Visy recycling facility today, Minister Enoch said Queenslanders are passionate about recycling.
“Queensland is currently the only mainland state without a waste levy. The levy will reduce the amount of rubbish going to landfill, create jobs, and increase investment in industry,” she said.
“There are more jobs in recycling and resource recovery than landfill.”
Minister Enoch said the Government had put on extra compliance officers on top of the 145 staff who are already ensuring businesses are doing the right thing when it comes to waste management.
“The Department of Environment and Science will have 16 extra staff on the ground with more to come, which will help to prevent illegal dumping across the state,” she said.
Minister Enoch said Queensland was generating waste faster than it was growing in population.
“We know Queenslanders are improving recycling. We’ve already seen the evidence of positive change with the huge success of the container refund scheme, with more than half a billion containers returned so far, and the ban on single-use plastic bags.
“Queensland’s ban on single use plastic bags is just a few days away from celebrating its first birthday, and this ban has made a significant difference to the environment.
“Since the introduction of the plastic bag ban, we have seen at least a 70 per cent reduction in plastic bag litter in the environment, which is incredible.”
Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia CEO Gayle Sloan said: “The long-awaited Queensland waste levy is now upon us and WMRR appreciates the strong cooperation and collaboration between the Queensland Government and industry throughout the levy development and implementation process”.
“The Government has consistently said that industry development is a priority, which WMRR applauds, and has already committed to returning a significant proportion of levy funds back to the industry – a real positive that will allow Queensland to catch up with its neighbours on the eastern seaboard.
“Importantly, Queensland is primed for job and investment growth, all of which will be a boost to the local economy and industry, which WMRR welcomes. We look forward to continuing to work with Government on building strong and sustainable waste, resource recovery, and remanufacturing industries in Queensland.”
More information about the waste levy can be found here:
