Recent claims that the EPA has increased prices for the disposal of waste collected in skip bins are incorrect.
The pricing changes from flat rates for skip bins to tonnage rates is entirely decided by private waste management companies such as Bingo, and not the EPA.
The EPA has been actively consulting with industry for over six months on proposed changes to the regulation of recovered fines.
Recovered fines are the material collected at the bottom of waste skip bins, and can contain contaminants like asbestos, which pose potential health risks. The recovered fines are currently sold by skip bin operators and used in landscaping products, sporting fields and residential developments.
Our testing found that over half of the facilities producing recovered fines were producing material that contained asbestos, micro plastics and other contaminants.
This is why the EPA is proposing to require the industry to do better testing of these fines to ensure they’re not contaminated before the material is used. The community needs a trusted and sustainable recycling industry, and the EPA is listening to those concerns.
We understand that the industry is concerned about the impact of the proposed changes, which is why we have been openly engaging with them over the last year. The EPA will continue to meet with industry and will engage directly with the Office of the Small Business Commissioner on these issues.
The EPA will be meeting again with skip bin operators on Monday followed by further meetings with the waste industry.
The EPA has stated it will not revoke and remake recovered fines orders and exemptions before 1 July 2022 and has invited industry to advise of any transitional arrangements that should be considered.
