The levy zone covers 39 out of 77 local government areas in Queensland, which is where most of the waste is generated and disposed of. The levy applies to the location of disposal, not generation. You can find a map of the levy zones on the QLD Government’s website.
All waste is subject to the levy unless exempted by definition or by application.
The following wastes are exempt by definition (although evidence that the waste meets the following definitions will need to be provided to the receiving landfill):
The following wastes are exempt by application:
Exemptions can be applied for (for a fee) by completing application forms on the Queensland government website. If you are unsure how to complete these forms, you can engage a Suitably Qualified Consultant such as EESI to do so for you. Turnaround times are usually around 30 days. It is possible for the timeline to begin again if DES requires further clarification after your applications are filled out correctly.
To avoid heartache at your waste disposal facility, we at EESI suggest requesting a ‘Waste Acceptance Letter’ from the receiving facility. This will allow the landfill to request any additional information they may need such as environmental testing to ensure you don’t get turned away at the weighbridge.
Levy costs will depend on your type of waste as shown in the table below. The levy is payable to the landfill as per your usual account requirements. Landfills will add an additional levy management fee.
Reviewing the levy rates, you will notice that incorrect classification of your waste can cost your project a significant amount of money. Furthermore, there are opportunities to save your project money by receiving a levy exemption or treating your waste to reduce its toxicity and potentially dropping its category from category 1 to category 2. We are happy to provide advice in this area.
Where exemptions and classifications require most thought is with the characterisation of waste soil. The regulation outlines that sampling is to be completed by an appropriately qualified person. However, sampling ratios, analytical suites and statistical methods applied to the data will differ from project to project. EESI specialises in soil remediation and waste classification and can provide innovative solutions to waste soil management.