For after hours urgent public health matters including environmental health, radiation safety, food poisoning and communicable disease management phone:
The aim of the Waste Act is to maximise recycling and reuse and minimise waste. It also aims to encourage investment, innovation and best practice in the ACT waste industry.
What is waste?
Any substance that is unwanted, abandoned or thrown away is waste. Exact definitions can be found in the Waste Act.
Under the Waste Act:
Businesses that operate a waste facility in the ACT must hold a Waste Facility Licence. To apply fill out the online Waste Facility Licence form.
Businesses that transport waste within, into or out of the ACT must hold a Waste Transporter Registration. To apply fill out the online Waste Transporter Registration form.
Operating a waste facility or transporting waste in the ACT without a licence or registration can result in significant penalties.
Am I a waste management business?
If you provide a service relating to the handling of waste, including the transport or storage of waste which is not generated by your business, it is likely that you will need a Waste Facility Licence or Waste Transporter Registration.
Businesses in the ACT that provide services such as storing, recycling or recovering waste are considered a waste facility and require a Waste Facility Licence.
Businesses that provide services relating to transporting waste from demolition or construction sites, or commercial or residential properties require a Waste Transporter Registration.
Businesses that provide other services in addition to waste handling are still required to be licenced or registered in the ACT. If you are unsure if you are a waste management business, please contact TCCS NoWaste Waste Regulation for advice.
Reporting
ACT NoWaste works with the community and waste industry to improve waste and recycling rates, with the goal of diverting 90% of the ACT’s waste from landfill by 2025. To develop strategies for best practice in waste management, the Waste Regulation team monitors the types and volumes of waste generated in the ACT.
Licensed waste facilities are required to report their waste activities to the ACT Government on a quarterly basis. You can complete waste activity reports online via the Waste facilities and transporters portal.
All reference materials for the waste facilities and transporters portal can be found below.
If you have any queries about the waste activity reporting program, email the Regulatory Reporting team at TCCS.NWWasteReporting@act.gov.au.
Waste facilities and transporters portal reference material
These documents provide information about the general principles for compliance and enforcement activities undertaken by Waste Regulation to support the ACT Government’s waste management and resource recovery objectives.
