Waste Authority Business Plan 2025-26
At a special meeting held on 17 June 2025, the Waste Authority endorsed the final draft 2025-26 Business Plan and budget. This followed the Waste Authority providing its in-principle approval at its 30 April 2025 meeting. The proposed Business Plan was subsequently transmitted to the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Matthew Swinbourn MLC for consideration.
While the draft 2025-26 Business Plan is still aligned with priorities within the current Waste Strategy, a number of actions will start to make progress against priorities identified in the draft updated Waste Strategy - Beyond WAste 2030: Western Australia’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2025-2030 which will be released for a final round of consultation later in 2025.
Key initiatives under the draft Waste Strategy
At its 23 July 2025 meeting, the Waste Authority discussed planning underway on options to help deliver key programs, priorities and initiatives under the new draft Waste Strategy. Priorities include:
FOGO
The FOGO program will continue to be a key initiative under the draft updated Waste Strategy, essential for achieving recovery targets. Members acknowledged that further investment in the FOGO system is essential to maintain current services and to prepare for increasing volumes. Members discussed options to improve FOGO product quality by addressing contamination; supporting end markets for FOGO-derived products; and increasing the recovery of FOGO material.
Batteries
Batteries and solar panels are considered priority waste streams due to their rapid growth in volume, fire and contamination risks and opportunities to recover valuable metals.
The Waste Authority acknowledged that funding investment in infrastructure and programs that support the recovery of batteries and solar panels will be critical to achieving Waste Strategy recovery targets, as well as preparing for future regulatory obligations.
Members noted in April 2025, New South Wales enacted the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025, providing powers to regulate and mandate product stewardship schemes across high-risk and high-volume waste streams, which explicitly identifies batteries and other problematic products as priorities. The Act sets out a regulatory model that other jurisdictions may consider adopting or aligning with, to allow for a nationally harmonised approach to mandatory battery product stewardship.
Members acknowledged opportunities to assess the merits of applying NSW’s model for battery product stewardship legislation in Western Australia.
Solar panels
With no current state or national mandated product stewardship scheme in place for solar panels, the Waste Authority discussed options to investigate the current and predicted future status of end-of-life solar panels in Western Australia, to inform the State’s policy, infrastructure, planning and regulatory readiness.
Following the outcome of this investigation, members noted the potential for a pilot study in Western Australia, to explore the feasibility of collecting, transporting and re-using solar panels from households and solar farms.
Container Deposit Scheme
The Waste Authority received a presentation on the Container Deposit Scheme – WA's Containers for Change program.
The WA Labor Government has committed to expanding its successful Containers for Change program to include wine and spirit bottles within its current term of government.
Members were pleased to note that, under the existing scheme:
- More than 4.3 billion containers have been recovered for recycling since the scheme began in October 2020.
- $15.9 million has been donated to charities, community groups and schools.
- The scheme supports 896 jobs, with 7% of employees identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and around 13% as people with a disability.
- The container recovery rate has increased from 34% before the scheme, to over 65% in the 2023-24 financial year.
2026 Waste Authority meeting schedule
The Waste Authority approved its 2026 quarterly meeting schedule, with meetings to be held on 22 April, 22 July, 14 October and 9 December 2026. A planning day will be held on 26 February 2026, including the Waste Authority’s Program Risk and Performance Committee, to consider key priorities for the 2026-27 Waste Authority Business Plan.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Waste Authority will be held on 15 October 2025.
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