The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has welcomed an independent report into how well its Resource Recovery Framework protected human health and the environment from the inappropriate use of waste.
The Framework, initially designed in 2008, sets the regulatory requirements that apply when waste is recovered and reused in NSW.
In a statement, the EPA said the Independent Review of the Resource Recovery Framework was commissioned last year and had delivered 22 recommendations to help refine and strengthen it Recovery Framework.
“Many of the recommendations take on board the practical suggestions from stakeholders about how to improve the existing regulatory framework and tools to deliver better outcomes,” the EPA said.
“The Report’s recommendations cover four key areas including: improved administration and decision making, the definition of waste and enhancing the regulatory framework, enabling high quality materials to facilitate circularity, and improving approaches to known and emerging contaminants.”
It said the recommendations included the implementation of clearer processes for resource recovery order and exemptions; the establishment of an expert panel or panels; investigating pathways for ‘end-of-waste’ outcomes to exclude suitable materials from the waste regulatory framework; and developing a resource recovery innovation pathway to support new and innovative technology and processes.
The EPA said it was considering its response to the Report.
The 26-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
