Inquiry into the waste industry

The State Liberals will today move to have a Parliamentary Committee inquire into the waste industry in South Australia. 

“This inquiry was sparked by the recent landfill fire at Wingfield but will be broad ranging in nature,” said Shadow Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Michelle Lensink.

“The residents and businesses living in close proximity to landfill fires deserve a concerted effort to understand the cause of the fires and reduce the frequency of future fires.

The Legislative Council will refer the waste management policies in South Australia to the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, to consider in particular:

1. The efficacy of the solid waste levy in providing equitable encouragement of resource recovery compared to landfilling or stockpiling of materials;

2. The adequacy of regulatory and legislative powers within the Environment Protection Act 1993 to manage the waste sector, including license enforcement and current penalties;

3. Best practice methods in the resource recovery and waste sectors;

4. Minimisation of hazardous risks in the resource recovery and waste sectors;

5. Relevant themes from the 2015 EPA/ZWSA Waste Summit which will inform this inquiry; and

6. Any other matter.