Waste regulations and management in the Australian state of Victoria

It's evident that Victorians produce a lot of waste.

The growth of the economy and the ever-increasing demand for energy and resources have led to times of prosperity and better living standard for many Australians. But, as one might expect, this has also resulted in the production of more and more waste. The Australian government has created many classifications for better waste management, meaning that different types of waste are disposed of in a variety of different ways.

EPA (The Environment Protection Authority) uses 4 general classifications of waste to determine the requirements for off-site disposal and the most appropriate management option. They are as follows:

• Fill material (soil)
• Solid inert -Building/demolition material (e.g. concrete, bricks, dry timber, plastic, glass, metals, bitumen and shredded tyres)
• Putrescible – food or garden waste from commercial or industrial sources (e.g. waste of vegetable processing, butchers and domestic remains);
• Prescribed waste (contaminated soil)

Bearing in mind that fill material and prescribed waste are typical for the industry, we'll take notice of solid inert and putrescible waste management. According to regulations, solid waste is to be reused, recycled or disposed of in a landfill. It is recommended that putrescible waste is composted, used for stockfood or energy recovery, and again disposed of in a landfill.

Waste disposal requirements and the illegal dumping problem

Most people don't realise that there are strict requirements that all off-site waste dumping grounds must meet. For one, all landfills and other waste facilities must be licensed. Furthermore, different types of waste require different license. Thus, if industrial or hazardous waste for instance is to be disposed of in a given landfill, its license must cover those specific types of waste. There are also special requirements for the waste transportation vehicles.

Illegal dumping of waste in as environmental crime and is becoming more and more serious problem. All kinds of materials are disposed of in places that are not licensed or, what's worse, in large and remote parcels where the violations are hard to be monitored and controlled.

Authorities have taken actions to prevent illegal dumping and to clean up these sites. Such actions include routine clean ups and site maintenance, publicising clean up-efforts as cooperative initiatives, support from other authorities and communities. We can all help solve this problem by reporting illegal dumping, sharing successful methods and hiring only licensed rubbish removal companies. Taking the responsibility for such problems will lead to figuring out the proper solutions.

Junior blogger and writer, living in Melbourne,Australia. Interested in nature, environment, design, art, writing, etc.