The Save Our Recycling Campaign, launched at the NSW Local Government Conference, seeks for the state government to reinvest the entire $727 million it collects from the waste levy each year in waste management and recycling.

Port Macquarie-Hastings mayor Peta Pinson said it made perfect sense to distribute 100 per cent of the waste levy back to councils.

She said more sustainable ways needed to be found to deal with rubbish.

“We need people to be part of the solution, because as communities, we are a big part of the problem,” Cr Pinson said.

Contamination of recycling was an issue, she said, so possibly we needed to be looking at initiatives such as separating our paper and cardboard.

The waste levy cost Port Macquarie-Hastings Council about $4.5 million last financial year, while the council receives about $111,000 back annually for better waste funding.

The council applies for other grants which stem from the waste levy.

Current grants are the marine litter grant at $77,000 and the $253,000 multi-unit dwelling organics collection grant.

Midwaste also receives grant funding as a regional group.

Local Government NSW president Linda Scott said it was critical NSW developed its onshore processing capacity for recycled materials, rather than shipping waste to countries such as China.

She said China’s tighter restrictions on what type of waste it would accept brought the opportunity for a new approach into stark relief.

“A new statewide approach to recycling must be funded by the $727 million the state government currently collects through the waste levy, around $300 million of which comes from local government,” Cr Scott said.

“At present, only 18 per cent of that $300 million is reinvested in recycling and waste management with the rest disappearing into the government’s coffers.”

An EPA response to The Port News said the state government and the EPA were committed to working with councils, regional waste groups and industry to improve and strengthen our recycling systems in NSW. 

The waste levy provides funding for the state government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative.

Just over $800 million is being invested over nine years from 2012 to 2021 through Waste Less, Recycle More, to drive waste avoidance, recycling, organics collections, market development, management of problem wastes, new waste infrastructure and programs to tackle illegal dumping and litter.

The waste levy requires certain licensed waste facilities in NSW to pay a contribution for each tonne of waste received.

The contribution aims to reduce the amount of waste to landfill and promote recycling and resource recovery.

Meanwhile, an inter-governmental taskforce is urgently progressing a longer-term strategic response to China’s enforcement of restrictions on the importation of recycled materials.

A draft Circular Economy Policy outlines the principles and ideas to help shape the approach to resource use and waste management in NSW.

A circular economy discussion paper explains these circular economy principles and how they play out around the world.

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