Written by Stephen Maxwell, Ramboll
The National Waste and Resource Recovery Report 2024 (Blue Environment 2025) provides an authoritative point of reference for Australia’s waste generation and management practices during the 2022 – 2023 financial year. Summary review of core waste groups supports the conclusion that over one million tonnes of soil was disposed of at landfill over this 12-month period.
As a mechanism to reduce waste disposal towards improved social and environmental sustainability outcomes, ANZ EPAs are increasing landfill levies. Concurrently, the regulatory frameworks for beneficial reuse of soil across several ANZ jurisdictions are under review. Collectively, these developments are creating new opportunities to enhance economic sustainability outcomes through more efficient and considered resource recovery pathways.
The Australasian Land & Groundwater Association’s Sustainable Remediation Forum (SuRF-ANZ) Special Interest Group (SIG) is actively examining this evolving landscape. Specifically, we’ve assembled a team of subject matter experts across ANZ to compare the current state of play across each jurisdiction and provide commentary on associated benefits and challenges.
An early observation is that stricter regulation of asbestos in soil in NSW compared to Victoria is driving increased volumes of ‘Hazardous Waste’ to landfill. This raises a critical question: where should the balance lie between science-based risk assessment and the application of a precautionary approach in managing this widespread waste stream?
The SuRF-ANZ SIG looks forward to sharing its work in a position paper over the coming months as a precursor to robust discussion at ecoforum Brisbane 2025 | ALGA on 28 – 30 October. This article is intended to inform and stimulate further discussion on the intersection of waste regulation, risk, and sustainability.
This article was submitted as a SuRF ANZ Specialist Interest group Initiative.