With the shutdown of some non-essential services over the next 24 hours Australia-wide, the waste and recycling industry will increase efforts to ensure it can maintain an essential service to the community.
The National Waste & Recycling Industry Council (NWRIC) which represents both national waste and recycling companies, and state and territory affiliates said they are doing everything possible to ensure that bins will continue to be collected and waste and recycling safely processed during these extreme times.
CEO of the NWRIC, Rose Read said, “our members and state affiliates have been actively adopting measures over the past few weeks to protect their staff and maintain services to local communities, businesses and the health sector”.
“However, like all businesses the waste and recycling sector is experiencing financial stress as business customers shut-down, demand reduces and segments of the economy slow.
Therefore the NWRIC is calling on state governments to provide waste and landfill levy relief to the sector. This is an obvious and necessary measure that can be implemented quickly.
“Specifically, we are asking state governments to waiver landfill levy doubtful debts, put on hold all planned levy increases for at least six months and waiver current waste and landfill levies for the next three months, Ms Read said.
“We are also asking state and local governments to be more flexible on certain facility license conditions so that social distancing to protect staff can be maintained and collection time curfews be lifted so that bins and continue to be collected”.
The NWRIC acknowledges the substantial support the Commonwealth and State governments have announced so far for businesses. However, levy fees are a substantial cost to the sector and relief in this area will be very important to ensure that the sector can keep its staff in jobs delivering this essential service to the community over the coming months.
