MAV: State focus on waste and recycling welcomed
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) has welcomed the Victorian Government’s decision to focus Sustainability Victoria’s work on waste, recycling and energy efficiency programs.
Cr Bill McArthur, MAV President said that councils had sought a stronger emphasis on waste management and resource recovery, which are critical to Victoria’s future environmental sustainability.
“As well as being a core function for local government under State laws, waste management and recycling are the single largest line item in council budgets.
“It’s critical that Sustainability Victoria’s programs, resources and expertise align with the practical roles fulfilled by councils to divert waste from landfill, avoid further greenhouse gas generation, and boost economic activity through new recycling and resource recovery initiatives.
“Managing landfills is costly and provides a vital service to the community. However building new landfills and rehabilitating closed sites is complex and can require millions of extra dollars from ratepayers, who already pay landfill levies through their council waste charges or rates.
“State landfill levies raise more than $130 million annually, but historically only a small portion has been reinvested to support local waste management and the development of innovative solutions.
“We look forward to Sustainability Victoria engaging with the MAV and local government on how to best support councils to meet landfill management obligations and progress resource recovery programs.
“The Victorian Government has made a significant step towards resolving this long-standing issue,” he said.
The landfill levy is a State charge on solid waste. Councils pay the levy on municipal waste, with the costs passed to ratepayers through garbage charges for kerbside collections, gate fees at landfills and transfer stations, or rates.
A State increase in the levy commenced in 2010, and over four years from 2011 councils will collect an estimated $160 million in landfill levies from ratepayers, to be paid into the Government’s Sustainability Fund.
The MAV recently received confirmation from the Premier and Minister Ryan Smith that the Sustainability Fund will, as its first priority, support waste reduction and innovations in recycling and resource recovery.
Cr McArthur said local government was already investing heavily to reduce long-term costs, environmental impacts and the significant greenhouse gas emissions generated by landfills.
“This shift in Sustainability Fund priorities to focus on resource efficiency and waste reduction will further assist councils, particularly given their increasing costs to meet higher Environment Protection Authority landfill standards.
“We commend the re-investment of landfill levies to help reduce waste going to landfill and save our valuable resources, such as through green organics recycling programs.”
