Waste management and resource efficiency reforms in Victoria

Introduction

The Environment Protection and Sustainability Victoria Amendment Act 2014 (Amendment Act) was passed by the Victorian Parliament in late March and it received Royal Assent on 1 April 2014.

The Amendment Act delivers on part of the Victorian Government's implementation of its waste policy released in April 2013, Getting full value: the Victorian Waste and Resource Recovery Policy (Getting Full Value).

Summary

The Amendment Act's main elements include:

• the replacement of the existing 12 regional waste management groups with six new waste and resource recovery groups, and accompanying governance changes;
• the transfer of responsibility for administering the Victorian landfill levy proceeds to the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) and the provision for landfill levy distributions to occur via ministerial determination rather than through regulations;