SA EPA has responded to ALOA’s call for a Landfill Community Fund.
Excerpt of the response below. Full response here
ALOA’s letter here
Dear Mr Sweet
Thank you for your letter to the Minister for Environment and Water, Hon David Speirs MP, regarding the Australian Landfill Owners Association’s (ALOA) proposal for a Landfill Community Fund to be established using funds collected from the solid waste levy (the levy). The Minister has asked that I respond directly to you regarding this matter.
The levy, collected by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on behalf of the South Australian Government, incentivises the diversion of materials from landfill so those resources can be returned into a circular economy and provide an important source of funding for investment in waste and recycling management initiatives.
The Recycling Activity in South Australia 2018-19 reports that around 83 per cent of all waste generated in South Australia was diverted from landfill. This equates to 4.34 million tonnes of material not going to waste and has resulted in South Australia having the best per capita resource recovery rate in the nation.
South Australia’s diversion and recovery rate means –
- 1.31 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are not being released
- the waste management, resource recovery and recycling sectors directly and indirectly employ approximately 4,800 South Australians, and
- The market value of recovered resources in 2018-19 was $348 million dollars.
In South Australia the use of the levy, which is directed by the Environment Protection Act 1993 and the Green Industries SA Act 2004, is prioritised for two major purposes;
- Contributing to funding the operation of the EPA and Green Industries SA (GISA); and
- Grants managed by GISA that focus on:
- unlocking the potential of the circular economy, developing infrastructure to process and create new products from waste, seed funding for new technologies, and commercialise research in South Australia;
- helping businesses, industry and government to understand, develop and implement cost saving waste management, resource efficiency and lean production measures to improve productivity and environmental performance.
The Environment Protection Fund and the Green Industry Fund can be used for climate change initiatives and for addressing environmental harm following an identified major incident, major emergency or a disaster.
The proposed uses of the levy funds as outlined in your letter are not consistent with the intent or legislated use of the solid waste levy.
Given ALOA’s proposal focuses on benefiting local communities and environments, there may be value in approaching relevant local councils or regional landscape boards/Green Adelaide through Landscape SA (https://statewide.landscape.sa.gov.au/). Further to that, the South Australian Government provides information for available grants at https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/care-and-support/concessions-and-grants/grants, which may be a useful resource for ALOA.
Should you require further information on this matter, please contact Kathryn Bellette, Director Strategy and Assessment within the EPA, on Kathryn.bellette@sa.gov.au or (08) 8204 1967.
Thank you for your letter and I trust this response is of assistance to you.
Yours sincerely
Tony Circelli
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY
Date: 14 /05/21
