Environment Minister Peter Garrett and his state and territory colleagues are proposing only minor changes to the regulations controlling the movement of hazardous and clinical waste between jurisdictions, despite industry criticism of the current state of play.

Sister publication WME Environment Business Magazine has revealed a lack of certainty and confidence in regulators’ handling of waste movements, including clinical waste being carted from WA to lower-order disposal facilities in Victoria and problems with cross-border leakage from SA.

The EPHC has refrained from major reform, proposing instead a series of minor variations to the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) on Movement Of Controlled Waste.

An explanatory note has been to provide further clarification to jurisdictions on the types of policies and legislation that should be included in consideration of consignment authorisations. The NEPM stipulates that each jurisdiction should require a producer intending to move controlled wastes to another state or territory to obtain a consignment authorisation prior to the movement taking place. Authorisations are only refused where a licence or policy requirement of the jurisdiction is not met.

It also expands the definition of a “producer” of waste to include those who consign waste, such as a licensed waste consolidation or storage facility.

The draft also proposes to push out the next review until 2020 rather than 2015, arguing the five-year cycle has not produced any significant changes.

Comment closes on August 18.

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