The management, regulation and cost of waste in Queensland is a complicated business due to challenges of geography and varied quality of localised services throughout the state. Future policy must incorporate increased opportunities for the recovery of advanced organic soil ameliorants and composted products through to the management of everyday farm chemicals through product stewardship programs.
Under the existing regulatory framework (Environmental Protection Regulation 2008), there is an exemption which permits a farm to dispose of ‘general waste’ on-farm. This general waste only includes wastes which are not ‘regulated’ (hazardous). Therefore, wastes such as chemicals, containers with residues, asbestos and other specific regulated must not be disposed of on-farm.
Under the same regulation there is also an exemption for composting material from agriculture or livestock production on the farm where it is produced. Additionally, there are also a range of ‘End of Waste’ Codes (formerly Beneficial Use Approvals) which promotes resource recovery opportunities and aims to transform the perception of waste from being viewed as waste to being valued as a resource.
Some of these codes provide opportunities for farmers to use various secondary-materials which meet specified standards for beneficial use on-farm including biosolids, sugar-mill by-products, and waste water generated from the CSG industry.
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation continues to call on the Queensland Government to provide more opportunities to expand existing take-back and product stewardship schemes for a range of agricultural products, and on local governments to offer designated drop-off points to consolidate agricultural wastes which are suitable for recovery and/or re-manufacture.
For the past three years, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection has been undertaking a review of the regulated (hazardous) waste classification and waste-related Environmentally Relevant Activity frameworks administered under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008. QFF encourages farmers to view the Regulatory Impact Statement and to make comment: https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/waste/review-reg-waste.html. until Friday August 25.
