Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – Phasing out certain waste exports

This consultation closed on 12 February 2020. Documents remain available for reference only. The final COAG Decision Regulation Impact Statement is available on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website: Phasing out exports of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres.

On 9 August 2019 at the meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Australia’s First Ministers agreed Australia should establish a timetable to ban the export of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres, while building Australia’s capacity to generate high value recycled commodities and associated demand.

COAG’s agreement reflects increasing concern in Australia and around the world about plastic pollution of our oceans and the need to ensure that exports of waste do not cause harm to human health and the environment.

Consultation

The Commonwealth Department, on behalf of all Australian governments, released a consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on 20 December 2019. This was required by the COAG Regulation Impact Guidelines. Consultation closed on 12 February 2020.

The purpose of a consultation RIS is to canvass industry and other interested stakeholders views on the regulatory options under consideration to determine the relative costs and benefits of those options. This RIS:

  • established the problem that governments are seeking to address
  • identified policy options to address the problem
  • examined the costs and benefits of these options in addressing the problem.

The Department sought input from industry and interested stakeholders on the options outlined in the consultation RIS. Input was also sought to assist development of accurate estimates and more appropriate assumptions. A series of questions for consideration were included in the consultation RIS. There was no obligation to answer any, or all, of the questions. There was no limit imposed on the length of submissions.

Read the Regulation Impact Statement

Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – Phasing out certain waste exports (PDF - 822.7 KB)
Consultation Regulation Impact Statement – Phasing out certain waste exports (DOCX - 2.75 MB)

Submissions

A total of 62 submissions were received over the consultation period. The majority of non-confidential submissions were made by respondents from national bodies, followed by respondents from New South Wales and Victoria. At least one submission was received from each state and territory, except for the Australian Capital Territory. Below is a list of the 44 non-confidential submissions received in alphabetical order.

The National Waste and Recycling Taskforce continues to meet with and speak to businesses and organisations about the challenges and opportunities associated with the COAG waste export ban.

Thirty-two submissions were received from peak bodies and businesses, with significant interest from councils and local government bodies. 

  • Eighteen peak bodies and industry associations made submissions representing their members.   
  • Fourteen submissions were made by businesses. 
  • Eleven local councils and local government bodies made submissions on behalf of their constituents. 
  • One academic institution made a submission on the consultation paper.  

You can contact the National Waste and Recycling Taskforce by sending an email to COAGwasteexportban@environment.gov.au.

Submissions disclaimer

The submissions published on this webpage are presented by the Department for the purpose of disseminating information to the public.

The views contained in published submissions are the responsibility of the authors and should not be taken to represent the views of the Australian Government. Publication does not in any way constitute endorsement of the views of the authors.

The Department does not verify the information contained in published submissions and makes no representation or warranty about the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained in submissions.

The Department disclaims liability, to the extent permitted by law, for any liability, loss, damage or cost arising from any information contained in published submissions.

While the Department values public consultation highly and seeks to be transparent, it is under no obligation to publish submissions it receives and reserves the right not to publish submissions on its website that raise legal or other concerns.

Submissions received

Below is a list of non-confidential submissions received in response to the consultation RIS, in alphabetical order.

Further information