Victorian Government announces recycling reviews
The past 18 months have shown us that Victoria’s recycling system is fragile, unsustainable and in need of urgent reform and investment.
The MAV acknowledges three upcoming reviews have been announced by the Victorian Government, which are aimed at improving aspects of our waste and resource recovery system:
- Infrastructure Victoria to provide advice on the infrastructure required to support changes to the waste and recycling industry in Victoria, particularly the reprocessing and use of recycled materials, the waste-to-energy sector and resource recovery of organic waste
- Essential Services Commission to review whether recycling services should be regulated as an essential service
- A further review of the Landfill Levy to consider its effectiveness as an economic instrument for influencing waste management practices, including reducing waste to landfill.
As the provider of services and infrastructure, local government plays a critical role in our waste and resource recovery system. Therefore, the MAV and councils should be invited to play an active role in each of the reviews.
Our Rescue our Recycling Action Plan has identified the need for greater reinvestment of collected landfill levies into recycling infrastructure and market development, as well as stronger oversight and regulation of the Victoria’s three major material recovery facility operators.
Our action plan emphasises the need for all three levels of government to work together, as well as the private sector and the community, to responsibly manage our resources sustainably. Unsustainable levels of waste generation and market failure must be addressed.
The Victorian community places a high value on their kerbside recycling service and expect the service to be reliable, responsible and result in the recovery of resources.
