The Waste Authority considered its draft 2022-23 Business Plan and draft 2022-23 Waste Strategy Action Plan. The Business Plan and Action Plan support the delivery of headline strategies and targets outlined in the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (the Waste Strategy 2030). The draft 2022-23 Business Plan and Action Plan will be finalised and provided to the Minister for Environment for consideration and approval. Once approved, these will be available on the Waste Authority’s website.
The Minister for Environment, the Hon Reece Whitby MLA joined members during the meeting and outlined his appreciation of the joint efforts of the Waste Authority and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation staff working together. The Minister also joined the recent Construction and Demolition (C&D) Stakeholder Reference Group meeting held on 29 March 2022 and was pleased to see great progress being made on the development of the C&D Rollout Plan and the identification of priority actions and projects.
The Chair of the Program Risk and Performance Committee (PRPC), Kaylene Gulich, provided an update to members on the key outcomes of the recent meeting of the PRPC held on 1 March 2022. The PRPC provides oversight and guidance to the Waste Authority on risk management, program evaluation and financial reporting.
The Waste Authority received a presentation on the WasteSorted behaviour change campaign ‘Be a GREAT Sort’ launched in August 2020. The campaign provides State-wide communications with consistent messaging on waste avoidance, resource recovery and appropriate waste disposal behaviours and supports the Waste Strategy 2030.
An evaluation of the campaign undertaken in May 2021 included a survey of 1,000 Western Australians and analysis of advertising data and bin tagging data. Recommendations from the evaluation have been incorporated into the program design. New resources, including FOGO materials, have been developed as part of the WasteSorted toolkit to support local governments.
Members were pleased to see many stakeholders continuing to adopt and promote the WasteSorted toolkit materials and behaviour change campaign including the Resource Recovery Group, Eastern and Western Metropolitan Regional Councils and their member Councils, the shires of East Pilbara and Augusta Margaret River and the cities of Albany, Armadale, Cockburn and Wanneroo. This has strengthened campaign messages across the State and is increasing consistent messages to households.
An update on the National and State Recycling Infrastructure Modernisation funding was noted by the Waste Authority. In February 2021, the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments announced a joint investment of $70 million for nine projects in Western Australia to reprocess plastics, tyres, paper and cardboard.
Implementation of the Australian export ban of certain waste products has commenced through the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. The timetable for implementing waste export bans commenced with waste glass from 1 January 2021, mixed plastics from 1 July 2021 and tyres from 1 December 2021, and will extend to single polymers from 1 July 2022 and paper and cardboard from 1 July 2024.
An update on the Food Waste for Healthy Soils funding program was noted by members. As part of the National Soil Strategy, the Australian Government announced a Food Waste for Healthy Soils Fund. The fund includes $57 million to support the diversion of nutrient rich household and commercial organic waste from landfill to soils building new or enhancing existing organic waste processing infrastructure.
Applications received under a recent expression of interest process to support Western Australian projects will be considered by the Minister for Environment and the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment.
The next meeting of the Waste Authority will be held on 16 June 2022.