The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate is calling on Canberrans to have their say on the updated standards for classifying waste in the ACT.
Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Vassarotti said the Directorate had undertaken a review of the current environmental standards which were developed in 2000 and hadn’t been reviewed since.
“The way we classify our waste is overdue for a review, which is why we have undertaken a comprehensive review of the current standards and aligned them with the NSW guidelines, which were last updated in 2017,” Ms Vassarotti said.
“Modernising our approach to waste classification will help protect the environment and streamline operations for waste generators, transporters and receivers, who operate across the ACT and NSW,” she said.
“Inappropriate waste classification and subsequent disposal has the potential for significant negative environmental impacts and economic costs to the ACT.”
Ms Vassarotti said aligning ACT standards with NSW would simplify waste management, reduce waste categories and include classification criteria for waste not captured in the current standards, particularly synthetic chemical waste.
“I encourage Canberrans to have their say on the draft standards because every submission helps us improve our approach to managing waste and protecting the environment here in the ACT,” the Minister said.
The Directorate’s 31-page report Environmental Standards: Assessment and Classification of Liquid and Non-liquid Wastes, including information on how to have a say, can be accessed at this PS News link.
