The waste levy (previously ‘landfill levy’) is set to increase in Victoria from 1 July 2021. Originally planned for 2020, this levy hike was delayed for 12 months as part of the Victorian government’s Covid-19 response Business Resilience Package.

To understand the background behind the new landfill levy rates and what the Victorian government is aiming to achieve, we need to take a look at the status quo for waste disposal in Victoria.

The success of landfill levy schemes in South Australia and in the European Union have no doubt contributed to this change in policy in Victoria.

Here are the key statistics you need to know to understand Victoria’s new waste levy.

Waste Levies in Victoria: Then and Now

When was Victoria’s waste levy introduced?

Landfill levies were first introduced to Victoria in 2011-2012, at the following rates:

  • $22/tonne for rural municipal waste
  • $38.50/tonne for rural industrial waste
  • $44/tonne for metro municipal & industrial waste

Rates were indexed over the next decade, with less than 10% increase per year.
All this changed in 2019, when new changes to landfill levy rates were announced.

The Recycling Victoria report & Victoria’s levy increase

In 2019, the Victorian government released its Recycling Victoria report, outlining key changes to help achieve state-wide recycling and resource recovery targets.
Rates were originally set to increase from 1 July 2020, but the fee increase was delayed as part of the Victorian government’s Covid-19 response package.

Landfill levies in Victoria over time (per tonne)

Year2019-20202020-20212021-20222022-2023
Metropolitan Municipal & Industrial Rate$65.90$65.90$105.90$125.90
Rural Municipal Rate$33.03$33.03$52.95$62.95
Rural Industrial Rate$57.76$57.76$93.19$110.79

Waste Levies Around Australia: How Does Victoria Compare?

Full infographic at https://jimsskipbins.com.au/victoria-waste-levy-infographic/

Prior to 1 July 2021, Victoria’s waste levy has been one of the lowest in Australia.

This disparity has encouraged the transport of interstate waste from other states to be landfilled in Victoria.

Only Tasmania’s waste levy is lower, at $20/tonne, while ACT still has no formal waste levy.

Waste levies in Australian states ($/tonne)

StateMetro Waste Levy (per tonne)Regional Waste Levy (per tonne)
Queensland$80$80
New South Wales$147.10$84.70
Australian Capital Teritory
Tasmania$20$20
South Australia$143$143
Western Australia $70$70
Victoria$105.90$52.95 to $93.19

How do people in the waste management sector feel about landfill levies? Almost 80% of people surveyed in the C&D waste industry agree waste levies are effective.

Aiming for Waste Levy Parity in Australia

Victoria’s new waste levy of $105.90 (metropolitan) and $52.95 to $93.19 (municipal/industrial regional) raises the rate closer to NSW’s $147.10 metro / $84.70 regional levy.

While Victoria’s waste levy is still lower, the interstate transport of waste also incurs bulk transport fees, bringing total costs on par with landfilling in New South Wales and removing the financial incentive.

Let’s take a look at some statistics on waste management in Victoria today.

Waste Management & Recycling Statistics in Victoria

How much waste is produced in Victoria?

Victorians produced a total of 13.4 million tonnes of waste in the 2017-18 year.
Out of this total:

  • 8.7 million tonnes were recovered
  • 4.4 million tonnes went to landfill
  • and about 200,000 tonnes were dumped.
    This third category includes litter as well as illegal dumping and stockpiling of waste.
    Resource recovery includes recycling and waste-to-energy recovery.

What percentage of waste is recycled in Victoria?

The resource recovery rate in Victoria – including recycling – is currently 65% (based on 2017-2018 figures).

The Victorian government aims to reach a resource recovery rate of 80%.

This means redirecting at least an additional 2.01 million tonnes from landfill each year.

Future predictions of waste & recycling in Victoria

By 2046, Victoria is predicted to generate 20 million tonnes of waste yearly.

This is an increase of more than 40% compared to today.

Accomplishing an 80% recovery rate would keep 16 million tonnes of waste out of landfill in 2046 alone.

So what are the motivations for raising the landfill levy?

The Purpose of Waste Levies: A Summary

Landfill levies (also known as landfill taxes or waste taxes) aim to:

1.       Make resource recovery and recycling more financially appealing than landfill

Without intervention, landfill is often the cheaper option for waste disposal. By increasing the cost of sending waste to landfill, these waste levies aim to make recycling and resource recovery more financially competitive.

While landfill levies do affect householders, these regulations primarily target industrial and commercial waste generators, who are incentivised to find alternative solutions for their waste.

2.       Address the externalities of landfilling (ie. the hidden costs to society)

Without waste levies or taxes, landfill gate fees are charged based on the direct costs of landfilling.

This may cover the running costs of tip sites, but it doesn’t reflect the wider impact that waste in landfill has on locals and the planet.

These externalities include:

–      The impact of noise, odours and dust on local residents and businesses

–      Greenhouse gas emissions emanating from decomposing waste in landfill  

–      Leaching of chemicals and air pollution from landfill sites

–      The opportunity cost of not recycling resources sent to landfill

–      The opportunity cost of land use on current landfill sites

3.       Raise money to support environmental programs

For many Australian states, their explicit aim in implementing a waste levy is to raise revenue for their environmental and waste management programs.

Depending on individual state policies and decisions, this can include direct waste management causes such as:

–          Investing in waste management infrastructure and technology

–          Grants for the recycling and resource recovery sectors

Many states and countries also provide grants to general environmental programs and climate change action.

Landfill levy funds can also be directed towards mitigating the negative effects of levy hikes, including tackling illegal dumping and stockpiling.

4.       Remove the financial incentive to transport waste across borders to lower levy states  

Raising waste levy rates in line with neighbouring states is an effective way to address a ‘downslope’ flow of waste across state borders. Without these interventions, waste is frequently transported long distances to dispose of at a lower cost, consuming fuel and generating more emissions.

Do Waste Levies Work? The Case for the Landfill Levy in Victoria

Here are some key statistics surrounding the results of waste levies.

The Impact of Waste Levies in Australia: Key Statistic

Waste levies have been identified as a major driver of Australia’s growing recycling rate.

In 2019, the Australian government released these statistics on recycling in Australia:

Year19962019
Carbon emissions16MT of C02-e emissions10MT of C02-e emissions
Recycling rate6%58%
Jobs in the waste & recycling sector30,00056,000

How do people in the waste management sector feel about landfill levies? Almost 80% of people surveyed in the C&D waste industry agree waste levies are effective.

Statistics from South Australia’s Landfill Levy Studies

South Australia increased their waste levy dramatically in 2019 and 2020.

Results from the SA landfill levy hike were analysed thoroughly, providing an effective test case for other Australian states.

Here are the key statistics to know from South Australia’s waste levy:

–          South Australia has the highest waste levy in Australia, at $143/tonne.

–          Studies determined that for every 1% increase in the costs of landfill, landfill volumes decrease by 1.1%.

–          From 2003-4 to 2015-16, resource recovery increased by 21.5% and waste to landfill reduced by 29%.

Where Else in the World are Waste Levies Effective?

–          Waste levies have been applied in 23 EU Member States as well as Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

–          Research has shown that countries with higher landfill taxes have lower landfill rates.

–          By 2030, Europe’s circular economy is predicted to add €900 billion ($AU1.4 trillion) to the economy and create three million jobs.

The Economic Benefits of Waste Levies: The Key Statistics

1.       Waste levies create employment

Studies on the South Australian waste levy noted every 10,000 tonnes of waste creates:

  •           3 jobs if landfilled
  •           9 jobs if recycled

This means levy increases are adding 21,000 full time equivalent jobs to the SA economy by 2030.

2.       Waste levies boost the state economy

By incentivising resource recovery, waste levies help return resources to circulation that would otherwise go to landfill.  

Boosting materials efficiency in Victoria by 5% would add $6.4 billion to the Victorian economy.

3.       Encourages investment in green technology

Higher waste levies boost investment in new resource recovery technologies.

This includes transformative waste approaches such as:

  •           Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) resource recovery: the ability to efficiently sort and recycle regular household waste
  •           Energy from Waste (EfW) generation: converting waste into fuel, energy or heat via incineration

Where does Waste Levy Revenue go in Victoria?

Revenue from waste levies is used to:

  1.       Address the potential consequences of landfill levies (eg. illegal dumping, waste transport or export, stockpiling)
  2.       Invest in resource recovery & waste management infrastructure, including business grants
  3.       Drive market demand for recycled materials

In 2018-2019, Australia’s national landfill levy proceeds were $1.13 billion, and 25% ($282 million) was reinvested into environmental efforts.

Only Victoria, NSW and WA have a dedicated plan on how to divide up waste levy revenue.

As part of the 10-year Recycling Victoria plan, the Victorian government has committed to investing $100 million in the state’s recycling industry.

Questions about Victoria’s landfill levy?

For comment on Victoria’s waste levy increase or Australia’s recycling industry, contact Jim’s Skip Bins. All statistics, facts and figures in this article are sourced from Waste Levies in Victoria.

Find the full infographic here (https://jimsskipbins.com.au/victoria-waste-levy-infographic/)

One of the best things about hiring a skip bin is not having to deal with the rubbish once the skip hire company takes it away. While that makes it easy for you, it doesn’t mean the rubbish simply disappears. The rubbish gets taken through a whole treatment process to ensure it ends up in the right place with as little impact to the environment as possible. Below we’ll explain just what happens to the waste you put in a skip bin once it leaves your sight. Then, we’ll give you some tips to help you know what you can and can’t put in a skip, to make sure you’re doing your part in the process.

Sustainable Waste Management

When it comes to the waste that gets thrown in skip bins, not all rubbish is the same. This makes it essential that all the rubbish doesn’t end up in the same place. Within a sustainable waste management process it’s important to sort through the different types of rubbish. This categorisation helps to distinguish between the kind of refuse that can be recycled, the organic material that can be composted, the toxic material that should be treated and the scrap metal that can be of value.

What gets removed in the skip bin sorting process?

Valuable Items

One of the first things to ensure with a waste sorting process is that items of value aren’t being wasted. Throwing out valuable items is costly in two ways: it loses the item of value and uses up unnecessary space in waste facilities. Rubbish treatment sites will remove these and send them to the appropriate facilities.

Construction Materials

Reusable and valuable building materials, such as bricks, concrete, glass and similar items are removed from the waste in order to be recycled for future construction. This sort of material can be broken down and remade into high quality supplies, making it an important recyclable material to be saved during the waste sorting process.

Electrical Supplies

Not all electrical supplies can be recycled. However, there are a number of electrical goods that are very important to recycle. This is because they are composed of rare earth minerals which are in short supply around the world. Reusing parts of technical equipment, like phones, laptops and televisions can help to build a more sustainable, circular economy with our everyday electrical goods.

Metal

Some scrap metal can be recycled for construction or other building supplies. While it needs to be processed to be used, raw scrap metal is a resource in high demand. This makes it an important part of your skip waste to be sorted, removed and sent to the appropriate facilities, or potentially shipped overseas.

Green Waste

Green waste material from your garden can be broken down in a much more eco-friendly way than most. In addition, there is always a demand for green matter to make their compost. As such, the garden materials from your tip will be sorted out and sent to specialist facilities to reuse it for composting and other garden projects.

What can’t you put in your skip bins?

Items that cannot be recycled or reused will be sent to facilities for landfill or incineration. It’s important to do what we can to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste.  Just make sure you don’t contaminate your bin with any of the hazardous materials mentioned above.

  • Chemicals
  • Flammable Material
  • Asbestos
  • Paint
  • Batteries
  • Hazardous Waste
  • Food Scraps
  • Oils
  • Contaminated Soil

Quick, efficient waste management

A skip bin is the perfect waste management solution for any big jobs, like renovations or garden makeovers.  Make sure your rubbish gets sent to the right place by hiring a skip bin with a reliable and responsible skip bin hire company. We play our part by ensuring we rigorously follow all environmental regulations. We send the waste from our skips to be sorted or recycled by appropriate facilities.

Get in touch 

If you’re unsure about anything covered in this article, or you would like to speak with a skip specialist about our range of options, get in touch with us today on 131 546. Our call centre is open for enquiries 7 days a week. Alternatively, you can request a free quote 24/7 with our online request a quote tool.

Hiring a skip bin is a great way to manage waste removal, prevent mess, and reduce cleanup time during a home or business project. At Jim’s Skip Bins, we provide full-service waste management solutions, with various bin sizes to suit most projects. Choosing the right skip bin for your needs is important, and there are a couple more important factors to ensure it doesn’t become a different type of headache. 

Understanding the skip bin placement and permit needs in your area is essential to a stress-free skip bin rental experience. Violating skip bin permit requirements or placing it in the wrong location can get you into trouble with your local council, and potentially law enforcement. That’s why we’ve created this simple guide to help you navigate the skip bin placement and permit process.

Skip Bin Placement 

When it comes to the optimal location for your skip bin, there are just four things you need to keep in mind: hazards, access, damage, and permits.

Hazards 

Before deciding on the location for your skip, ensure that there are no clear hazards around that could cause problems when trying to access it. Potential hazards include overhead tree branches, powerlines, intersections, pedestrian walkways, or neighbouring properties. If any of these hazards are likely to obstruct your access to the skip, keep looking for a more appropriate spot!

Access 

There are two important elements of skip access that you need to consider before your skip is placed: the truck’s accessibility to the site and your accessibility to the skip. If the truck can’t drop the skip off in your chosen location then it will never get there. If you can’t access the spot, it’ll never get filled. So make sure you consider these when deciding on the best place to put your skin bin.

Damage 

You don’t want your skip bin to destroy your garden or property, so make sure you consider how to minimise the chances of any incidental damage that could occur. We recommend placing the skip on top of some wooden planks to reduce the damage to your garden when filling and moving the skip. This is especially important if you’ll be placing it on the street or other council property, as damage to these areas could lead to a more serious issue.

Permits 

The final element to consider when placing your skip is whether you have the legal permission to do so. Generally speaking, you can place a skip on private property without a permit, but will require a permit from the local council to place it on public property. Continue to the next section for more information on that.

Skip Bin Permit 

Working out if you need a skip bin permit can be confusing, so our best advice is to contact your local council, as the requirements often vary between states and suburbs. In some cases, your skip bin provider may be able to handle the permit application, but in others, the responsibility will fall to you.

We recommend using this guide as a helpful starting point, but it’s your local council who can verify the requirements to ensure that you are not violating any regulations.

New South Wales 

With skip bin hire in New South Wales and Sydney, you can put a skip bin on your private property without the need of a permit from your local council. However, if you wish to place the skip on a public piece of land, such as the street or a nature strip, then you will need to apply for a permit in order to do so legally. In NSW, it is recommended that you speak with your skip bin operator, as some areas of the state allow them to purchase an annual permit that negates the need for the customer to purchase one.

Victoria 

Skip bins in Victoria and Melbourne are generally permitted to be placed on private property without the need of a permit. However, some councils will require the skip bin operator to have a licence or permit to operate in that municipality. Knowing this, you should check with your operator that they are permitted to work in your council. If you wish to place the bin on public land, you will need to apply for permission from your council.

Queensland 

If you’re getting skip bins in Brisbane and around Queensland you can place bins on their private property without the permission of their local council. If they wish to place a bin on public property, things get more complicated. Some municipalities will allow you to do so if you have applied for a permit from the council, while others strictly prohibit the placement of skips on public land. Ensure that you check with your skip bin operator in QLD before you try to place a skip on public land.

Western Australia 

For skip bins in Western Australia, and specifically in Perth, you will generally require a permit from the local council if you wish to place a skip bin on private or public land.

Tasmania 

Customers can hire and place skip bins in Hobart or Tasmania on their private property without a permit from the local council. Some councils require a permit for the skip bin to be placed on public property, and some prohibit it entirely.

Northern Territory 

For skip bins in Darwin and the Northern Territory, councils normally allow residents to place a bin on private property without applying for a permit. A permit is almost always required if the skip is to be located on public land.

Australian Capital Territory 

You must apply for a permit if you plan to place a skip bin in the ACT, whether on public property or land, including Canberra. For private property, you ordinarily won’t need to apply for a permit, however, it’s highly recommended that you check with your skip bin operator about permit requirements before booking.

South Australia

When you hire a skip bin in Adelaide or South Australia, you do not need a permit to place it on private property. We still suggest that you should check with your local council or skip bin provider about any special conditions on this. If you plan on placing the skip bin on public land, a permit will be required, and the regulations for these vary by council.

Get in touch 

If you’re unsure about anything covered in this guide, or you would like to speak with a skip specialist about our range of options, get in touch with us today. Alternatively, you can request a free quote 24/7 with our online “request a quote” tool.

When it comes to hiring a skip bin, the biggest decision you will have to make is between skip bin sizes. Choosing a skip bin might sound relatively straightforward. However, the type of skip you choose will have a big effect on your project. It will impact the amount of space available for waste disposal, the type of access you have to your bin, how often you need to have your skip bin emptied and ultimately – cost.

The trick to choosing the right skip bin is to have a good understanding of your needs and the skip bin hire options available to you. In order to simplify that process, we’ve created this short guide to help you choose the right bin for your next project.

What will your skip bin be used for?

Are you landscaping in your backyard? Renovating an office space? Disposing of green waste or contaminated soil?

Knowing what the project is for helps to narrow down the range of skip bins. So before you contact our friendly customer service team to get a free quote for your next skip bin hire, make sure you know exactly what it will be used for. This assists in determining which size skip would be optimal. It also helps to choose the most appropriate type of bin for the waste you will be dealing with and the type of access you will require.

Outdoor gardening projects, for example, would generally require a skip bin with wheelbarrow ramp access. This style would enable you to easily wheel your green waste from your garden into the bin. Office renovations on the other hand, work best with walk-in skip bins as they allow you to make the most of the available space and cut down on the frequency of skip pickups.

Where will you put your skip bin?

Where your bin will be located is just as important to know when determining the type of bin you will require for your next project. The right size for your skip is not just the one with the right capacity for your needs, but also the one that can fit on the site of your project. When considering where you will put your skip bin, there are a number of factors that you should consider. The first is whether the skip bin can fit in the location you need it. There’s no point in choosing the largest size for your bin if your site has insufficient space.

The second consideration is whether the truck that carries the skip can access the site. At a minimum the truck will need to be able to drop off and pick up the skip, so don’t forget truck access in your calculations. You will also need to consider the type of terrain the bin is on. The larger size skips can hold an immense amount of weight. So ensure that the location of your skip can withstand the necessary weight without problems. The final consideration is the type of access your chosen skip provides. If you choose a walk-in skip or one with wheelbarrow ramps, make sure the location provides the necessary space to easily access your bin.

How big is your project?

The size of your project will ultimately determine the skip bin size that you require. Understanding the approximate duration and scope of the project you are undertaking will help you to choose the right skip bin for your needs. A home renovation of a single room will obviously create less waste and require less cubic metres in the skip than a renovation of an entire home. Similarly, an office renovation can vary dramatically in scope depending on the number of offices and square footage being renovated. All of this information is worth noting down so that you can convey to our team of experts exactly how big your project is likely to be.

Once you’ve noted down an approximation of the amount of time, space, people and waste involved in your upcoming project, it’s time to estimate the cubic metres you will require in your skip bin. Using the cubic metre as a metric for gauging volume can be tricky to visualise. So instead we recommend using “the Wheelie Bin approach.”

Estimating the size of a skip bin – how many Wheelie Bins?

If you can perfectly visualise what a cubic metre looks like and how much waste you can fit in it, then we would love for you to fill out an application to join the Jim’s Skip Bins team.

For everyone else, we have a simpler method for estimating the size of a skip bin. The Wheelie Bin approach is effective because everyone can picture the dimensions of general household wheelie bins. With the height and width of a wheelie bin in your mind you can easily translate it into cubic metres by multiplying it by four. Four standard wheelie bins fit neatly into one cubic metre. This means that the smallest skip bin of two cubic metres is roughly equivalent to eight household wheelie bins.

What can I put in my skip?

There are different types of skips for different types of waste. Below we have provided a rough guide for the type of waste you can put in each skip. For more information, or to confirm the type of skip that’s right for your next project, get in touch with our team today.

  • General Waste bins: Most general household waste. Boxes, wood, cabinets, white goods, clothes, toys, carpet etc.
  • Builders / Renovation bins: Waste from household clean-ups & renovations including bricks, concrete & general waste.
  • Dirt bins: Exclusively dirt, soil & sand.
  • Brick and Concrete bins: Only bricks and concrete are allowed.
  • Green Waste: Organic waste such as grass clippings, branches, wood-chips and bark, wood, fence palings.

What if I choose the wrong size skip bin?

With skip bin sizes ranging from two cubic metres to ten cubic metres, there is no shortage of options when it comes to hiring a skip bin. This guide has outlined some of the important questions to answer when determining the right skip for your needs. However, with so many choices it can still be a tricky process. Our team of friendly experts are happy to talk you through the process, provide free quotes and help you choose the best skip for your budget and project specifications. If you still find that you have chosen the wrong size for your skip bin, then there is nothing to worry about. Give us a call and we can pick up your bin and replace it with the right size so that your project doesn’t get held up by the wrong bin.

To help your next project go smoothly, get in touch with our team today to start organising the right skip bin for the job.