The Western Australian Waste Authority provides advice to the Minister for Environment and is responsible for the administration of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account, in accordance with the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2007 (WARR Act).
The work of the Waste Authority supports the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (the Waste Strategy) vision:
“Western Australia will become a sustainable, low-waste circular economy in which human health and the environment are protected from the impacts of waste.”
The Waste Strategy
The Waste Strategy builds on Western Australia’s previous waste strategy, Creating the Right Environment, which was introduced in 2012 and achieved significant improvements in recycling, reducing waste generation, diverting construction and demolition waste, and better managing commercial and industrial waste.
The Action Plan
The Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy Action Plan 2022-23 (the Action Plan) clarifies the specific actions, timelines, lead responsibilities and collaborations that will be progressed to achieve the objectives of the Waste Strategy.
The Business Plan
The Waste Authority Business Plan supports the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 and associated Action Plan 2022-23.
It sets out how WARR account moneys are applied to the programs and activities that support the implementation of the Waste Strategy.
The vision
This vision is supported by the three following objectives which reflect the waste hierarchy, whereby waste avoidance is the most preferred outcome and disposal is the least preferred:
- avoid – Western Australians generate less waste;
- recover – Western Australians recover more value and resources from waste; and,
- protect – Western Australians protect the environment by managing waste responsibly.
The Waste Strategy’s vision, objectives, high-level targets and headline strategies are, as follows;
Avoid
Western Australians generate less waste.
- 2025 - 10% reduction in waste generation per capita
- 2030 - 20% reduction in waste generation per capita
Recover
Western Australian recover more value and resources from waste.
- 2025 - Increase material recovery to 70%
- 2030 - Increase material recovery to 75%
- From 2020 - Recover energy only from residual waste
Protect
Western Australians protect the environment by managing waste responsibly.
- 2030 - No more than 15% of waste generated in Perth and Peel regions is landfilled
- 2030 - All waste is managed and/or disposed to better practise facilities
The Waste Authority is committed to the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Waste Strategy through the activities outlined in the Action Plan, and to the Western Australian Premier’s Our Priorities: Sharing Prosperity program, to make Western Australia a low-waste society.
The WARR Act
As determined in the WARR Act, the Waste Authority prepares a draft annual business plan for the approval of the Minister for Environment. The annual business plan describes the priority programs and initiatives which support the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Waste Strategy. As part of developing the annual business plan, the Waste Authority makes recommendations for the application of WARR Account moneys for the approval of the Minister for Environment.
Section 36 of the WARR Act prescribes that the business plan must set out:
- the Waste Authority’s objectives and priorities for the next five financial years
- financial projections for that period
- the Waste Authority’s budget for the next financial year
- the services and facilities that are reasonably necessary to be provided or used under Section 16 for the next financial year in order to enable the Waste Authority to perform its functions
- what the Waste Authority intends to do over the next financial year
- the Waste Authority’s policy for the application of moneys from the WARR Account for the next financial year
- a priority statement with respect to extended producer responsibility schemes in accordance with section 47
- any other matters that the Minister requires in writing.