A new NSW PFAS monitoring Chemical Control Order (CCO) will require licensed landfills and sewage treatment plants (STPs) to monitor for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and report results to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The Landfill and Sewage Treatment Plant PFAS Monitoring Chemical Control Order will commence on 1 October 2026.
PFAS are persistent chemicals that can remain in the environment. Landfills and sewage treatment plants generally receive these forever chemicals from other sources rather than creating them, making the facilities secondary receivers of PFAS.
The EPA said these forever chemicals monitoring requirements currently differ between sites, making it difficult to compare data and understand these forever chemicals pathways across NSW.
The new CCO is intended to establish consistent, science-based PFAS monitoring requirements and improve understanding of the forever chemicals concentrations and pathways from licensed landfills and STPs. It will also provide data to inform future regulatory decisions and support environmental protection. The requirements align with the PFAS National Environmental Management Plan (PFAS NEMP 3.0).
Read more: NSW EPA releases position statement on forever chemicals NEMP
The CCO applies to:
- licensed landfills in NSW
- licensed sewage treatment plants in NSW.
Licence holders operating these facilities must comply with the CCO from 1 October 2026.
What licence holders must do
Under the new requirements, relevant licence holders must:
- monitor for forever chemicals at specified locations
- use approved sampling and analytical methods
- conduct monitoring quarterly
- report monitoring results to the EPA in the required format and within the required timeframes.
The CCO is intended to create a consistent approach to this forever chemicals monitoring across licensed landfills and sewage treatment plants in NSW, generating comparable data on PFAS concentrations and pathways.