Background

Implications

Regional aspects

Assessing and measuring the current situation

Indicators

Management responses

Discussion

Future directions

Recommendations

Related issues

Background

Hazardous waste has been defined as any waste whose quantity and notably toxic, reactive, corrosive, flammable, explosive, infective or like nature, pose a substantive and unacceptable hazard to the public, the environment, or both, unless the material is dealt with by appropriately rigorous and cautious means (DELM 1993). These wastes, if improperly handled, may produce negative health effects that can be classed as:

• mutagenic (a genetic change which, when transmitted to offspring, gives rise to inheritable variations);
   
• teratogenic (any substance, agent, or process that induces the formation of developmental abnormalities in a foetus);
   
• carcinogenic (any substance that, when exposed to living tissue, may cause the production of cancer ); and
   
• toxic (a poisonous substance).
   

Hazardous waste is an issue for Tasmania, not only due to the potential consequences these wastes pose if improperly managed, but also because of:

• the lack of a dedicated hazardous waste disposal site in Tasmania that can accept all types of waste;
   
• the need to improve options (and awareness of these options) for households and industry in safely disposing of hazardous wastes; and
   
• a relatively low, but improving, level of community awareness in Tasmania of services for the safe disposal of hazardous waste.
   

Hazardous or 'controlled' waste has been defined under the Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 and the National Environment Protection Measure on the Movement of Controlled Wastes Between States and Territories 1998 made by the National Environment Protection Council. Under Schedule 5 of the Waste Management Regulations controlled waste has to exhibit an environmentally significant characteristic and is either within the meaning of other legislation (e.g. derived or arising from poisons within the meaning of the Regulations) or is declared to be waste by the Director of Environmental Management, by notice published in the gazette.

There are some hazardous waste types that are dealt with separately, including radioactive wastes and intractable wastes (those wastes difficult to safely dispose of without special technologies and facilities). The Radiation Control Regulations 1994 and Radiation Control Amendment Regulations 2002 class radioactive waste as a special category under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Human Services. A small percentage of hazardous waste has been regarded for a long time as intractable waste and these are known as scheduled wastes. To ensure adequate protection of human health and the environment, Australian governments have agreed to implement a national approach to the management of scheduled wastes (see National Strategy for the Management of Scheduled Waste 1993). The agreed list of scheduled wastes (schedule X) includes polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene, and organochlorine pesticides.

Implications

The storage, transportation and disposal or treatment of hazardous wastes has inherent health implications to the community and the potential to impact on the functioning of local ecosystems in Tasmania. Hazardous waste is expensive to handle, treat and dispose of due to the high degree of caution required in all aspects of its management. Human and environmental health implications may also arise if the absence of infrastructure for dealing with hazardous waste poses an impediment to development, as has been noted: '…the current infrastructure for managing hazardous wastes is inadequate, and is an impediment to environmentally sound industrial development within Tasmania' (Nolan ITU 1999).

The requirement to transport many types of hazardous waste from Tasmania to the mainland, increases the expense of handling waste products and increases the possibility of accidental discharge of the waste through vehicle accidents or poor maintenance of storage containers. The expense of transporting the material to the mainland is also more likely to result in inappropriate disposal of the waste in Tasmania, such as through the normal waste stream. Disposal of hazardous waste at landfill sites that are not purpose-designed for storage and treatment of hazardous waste will reduce the ability of these landfills to trap and treat the leachate associated with non-hazardous waste and result in potential damage to the environment.

Regional aspects

The major regional aspects of hazardous waste management in Tasmania are:

• the potential for environmental costs at a local scale, including the risk of incurring future remediation and treatment costs associated with contaminated sites from former hazardous waste disposal sites; and
   
• the establishment of regional treatment and disposal facilities for hazardous waste, which is an important response to the transport cost impediments to the proper disposal of hazardous wastes. Nolan (1999) has identified that improved accessibility to disposal facilities will reduce illegal disposal of waste products.
   

The information within this Issue Report is primarily reported at a regional level, with the State having been divided into the northern, north-western and southern regions.

Assessing and measuring the current situation

There are a limited number of studies into the generation of hazardous waste and its disposal in Tasmania. Some information has been available for this SoE Report owing to a one-off survey commissioned by DPIWE and conducted by Nolan ITU (1999). This was the Tasmanian Waste Generation Survey and Infrastructure Needs Analysis conducted in 1999. Waste data was collected from industries around the State that included hazardous waste information on waste classification and quantities, disposal facilities, and treatment facilities. The study focussed upon solid hazardous waste. A needs analysis that highlighted the barriers to improved hazardous waste management was also conducted.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has also collected national and State data on the 'disposal of household hazardous waste' and 'household awareness of disposal services or facilities for hazardous waste in their area'. Tasmanian data (versus national data) was only available for 'household awareness', while the standard error was too great in the data for the 'household disposal values' in Tasmania.

Indicators

Quantity, Composition and Disposal of Hazardous Waste Generated - at a glance

• Continued in depth

• Recording the quantity and composition of hazardous waste generated in Tasmania, as well as the storage, transport, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste is important in helping to protect the environment from long-term contamination and reducing the risk to public health.
   
• There were 283 business operations surveyed across Tasmania in 1999, primarily targeting the production of solid wastes (Nolan ITU 1999). The average response rate was only 35% with a total of 99 businesses responding. The report notes that as an indicative estimate, the total hazardous waste generation rate for all surveyed industries could be in the order of 870 000 tonne/yr. However, it is likely that this total estimate is well above the true figure. The reliability of the estimates of hazardous waste quantities for each industry type is poor, as the responses are unlikely to be fully representative, and therefore, the results per industry type have not been presented.
   
• The total rate of hazardous waste generated by the 99 industry respondents was 303,124 tonnes/year. Of the total annual volume generated, 81% was adequately disposed of and 19% had inadequate disposal (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• Tasmanian figures for the disposal of household hazardous waste are not available due to a high standard error within the data available (ABS 2000). However, the Australia-wide data indicates household hazardous waste disposal is not being managed appropriately. The majority of household hazardous waste is being disposed of via normal garbage collection systems (ABS 2000a). An increase in the use of this method also occurred, from 65% in 1996 to 85% in 2000. It is likely that in Tasmania this method is often used due to economic and other reasons, and impacts on the ability of landfill operators to manage the waste, potentially creating a greater impact on groundwater systems.
   
• In 2000, only 39.4% of Tasmanian households knew of services or facilities that were available in their area for the safe disposal of household hazardous waste, a slight increase compared to 1996 (33.4%). This is slightly higher compared to the overall figures for national household awareness, which consist of 31% in 1996 and 37% in 2000 (ABS 2000).
   
• There are 24 landfills across Tasmania that are licensed to receive hazardous waste, but each vary in what type of hazardous waste they are able to take (e.g. animal wastes, waste oil, asbestos, other), and there are no sites that are able to receive all types of hazardous waste (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• There are 12 landfill sites across the State that receive medical waste and 11 that receive quarantine waste. All the landfills that receive quarantine waste follow approved quarantine directives (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• Generally, the method of hazardous waste disposal at each municipal landfill is dictated by the type of license they have. Only 37% of landfills have documented their procedures for handling hazardous wastes, and only 30% of landfill operators have provided staff with training on the safe management of these wastes (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• The disposal practices for hazardous waste at some landfill sites in 1999 indicated they could lead to a significant risk of environmental degradation (e.g. increases in the toxicity of leachate waters) (Nolan ITU 1999).
   
• It is not known what percentage of the privately operated industry specific landfills dispose of hazardous wastes into their landfills.
   

Management responses

In 1994 the Tasmanian government released the Tasmanian Hazardous Waste Management Strategy and Tasmanian Solid Waste Management Strategy. The Tasmanian Government made the commitment to support the establishment of a national waste exchange system and establish a waste exchange system in Tasmania. DPIWE currently has a Trade Waste Exchange Program (TWEX) that provides a free and confidential waste material exchange system. Interested persons can register for available and wanted waste (DPIWE, 2001).

In March 2000 the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment released a public discussion paper entitled 'Towards a Tasmanian Waste Management Strategy' (DPIWE 2000). The waste management strategy, once developed, will replace and build upon the existing Tasmanian Hazardous Waste Management Strategy and the Solid Waste Management Policy, and provide a framework for the proposed waste policy reforms and to establish the waste management agenda. The Government adopted a new reduction target of 50% of waste by volume to landfill by 2005 based on 1990 levels. This 50% reduction is in line with national policy on waste reduction. The Waste Management Strategy aims to provide an integrated approach to waste management through tools such as economic incentives, stakeholder participation, education and appropriate landfill sites. The principles of waste avoidance and resource recovery have been included in the waste management strategy. A number of management tools such as the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994, litter management, new waste treatment technologies and the guidelines for medical waste, are being reviewed as part of the Strategy (DPIWE 2000).

The discussion paper identifies a number of actions that the State government will pursue to improve hazardous waste management:

• Amendments will be made to the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 to define which wastes are subject to statutory controls and new waste management regulations will be developed;
   
• Cooperative State and local government household hazardous waste collection systems will be established;
   
• Urgent establishment of an interim storage facility for hazardous waste;
   
• Development of a comprehensive strategy for handling liquid waste and a progressive ban on disposal at landfill;
   
• Finalise guidelines for the management of medical waste;
   
• Develop a strategy for introducing a ban on disposal of untreated clinical waste to landfill;
   
• Develop clear and concise pesticide management guidelines;
   
• Undertake the drumMuster and ChemCollect programs;
   
• Develop used oil management guidelines; and
   
• Develop a marine waste management strategy (DPIWE, 2000).
   

A partnership agreement has also been set up on waste management between the Tasmanian Government and the Local Government Association of Tasmania, 2000. The objectives of this agreement include that the Parties agree to work cooperatively towards achieving Tasmania's share of the national waste reduction objective and to avoid or minimize adverse impacts on the environment and the community arising from waste management activities. The Parties also agree that they need to work together as partners to develop a strategic and integrated approach to local, regional and Statewide waste management. The Agreement also stated that a committee be established to examine implementation options for hazardous waste management measures arising from the Waste Management Strategy within 12 months of the Parties signing the Agreement.

The partnership agreement sets out the requirement for the establishment of 3 regional waste management bodies. To date the Southern Waste Strategy Authority is the only one that has been established in Tasmania. The North West region through to the 'Cradle Coast' has begun the process for developing a similar body. The key priorities of the Southern Waste Strategy Authority are to:

• Refine southern Tasmanian waste management policies by cooperation with the member Councils, and other arms of Government, business, and the community.
   
• Provide professional advice in investigating and analysing improvement proposals for waste management in southern Tasmania.
   
• Coordinate and facilitate the implementation of specific improvement projects.
   
• Liaise with external bodies, to develop a coordinated public awareness program aimed at delivering a single consistent message throughout the region.
   
• Develop and maintain a regional waste management database, based on the Australian Waste Database.
   

The control of hazardous waste movement in Tasmania is set out in the Environmental Management and Pollution Control (Waste Management) Regulations 2000 and the National Environment Protection Measure, Movement of Controlled Wastes Between States and Territories 1998 issued by the National Environment Protection Council. The NEPM includes:

• management systems for tracking, prior notification of movement and licensing of controlled wastes; and
   
• a list of controlled wastes that will be subject to procedures for information collection and sharing (National Environment Protection Council, 2001). A whole of government approach in conjunction with the NEPM has been proposed to deal with hazardous waste in Tasmania (DPIWE, 2000).
   

Hazardous waste that has been classed as 'scheduled waste' is dealt with under the National Strategy for the Management of Scheduled Waste 1993. In the period since the last SoE Report, three national plans for Scheduled Waste that are relevant to Tasmania have been developed, including:

• Organochlorine Pesticides Management Plan-July 1999;
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls Management Plan-revised 1999 and 2002; and
• Hexachlorobenzene Waste Management Plan-November 1996.

As part of the management plan for organochlorine pesticide waste a free collection scheme, 'ChemCollect', was carried out in Tasmania and across mainland Australia, for two years until the end of 2002. ChemCollect was a nationally coordinated, free collection scheme to ensure that unwanted and de-registered agricultural and veterinary chemicals, particularly organochlorine pesticides, were safely collected from rural areas and destroyed in a socially and environmentally acceptable manner. Each land owner had the opportunity to dispose of unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals free of charge (Environment Australia, 2001). More than 1,600 tonnes of chemicals were collected in the two year running period, exceeding the anticipated target of 1,200 tonnes.

It was always anticipated that once ChemCollect wound up, non-registered chemicals, including organochlorine pesticide waste would need to be collected at landholders expense. However, the rural and chemical industry associations have been developing an ongoing industry funded scheme called ChemClear, to collect unwanted registered rural chemicals post ChemCollect. ChemClear is a joint initiative involving Avcare (the National Association for Crop Protection and Animal Health), the Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association and the National Farmers' Federation. ChemClear allows for ongoing management of registered farm chemicals and regular collections of these chemicals will occur.

As a component of the Industry Waste Reduction Agreement, signed in 1998, the drumMuster collection program was also developed. drumMUSTER is a collection scheme for non-returnable containers that contained crop protection or animal health chemicals. The drumMuster program was jointly developed by the National Farmers' Federation, Avcare, the Veterinary Manufacturers and Distributors Association, and the Australian Local Government Association. A levy was placed on crop protection and animal health products sold in non-returnable, rigid, steel and plastic chemical containers. Farmers can deliver the clean containers to collection points to be sorted and processed by local councils (Troeth 1998). The ACCC recently approved the application of the drumMUSTER levy to non-hazardous product containers. Participating manufacturers may now implement the levy on a voluntary basis. To provide an opportunity for farm chemical users to dispose of these containers and clean up their farms, drumMUSTER will now accept clean, empty containers that were not previously eligible, under an amnesty period for the duration of 2003.

Draft Guidelines for the Management and Disposal of Medical Wastes in Tasmania (May 1998) have also been published.

Where landfills in Tasmania have a license for hazardous waste disposal, generally, it is the type of licence that will dictate how hazardous wastes are landfilled. Typical conditions of the licences are:

• Deep burial is required in most cases;
• Notice must be given to DPIWE in most cases;
• Dilution and mixing is sometimes required (e.g. acids, residues and sludges from chlorinated solvents);
• Stabilisation and encapsulation is sometimes required;
• Asbestos must be triple wrapped;
• Containers must be triple rinsed;
• Contaminated soils should be landfarmed where possible; and
• Household hazardous wastes must be mixed with municipal/domestic waste prior to disposal (Nolan ITU 1999).

Discussion

There is currently no reliable and accurate method for determining the total hazardous waste generation rate and disposal route in Tasmania. This is of particular concern as the storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in Tasmania has inherent health implications to the community and the potential to impact on the functioning of local ecosystems in Tasmania.

According to Nolan (1999) the only reliable method of currently determining the total hazardous waste generation rate in Tasmania will be via a comprehensive waste transport certification system that requires the person transporting the waste to provide full details of waste quantities and types.

The current arrangements for hazardous waste disposal are not considered satisfactory in Tasmania (Nolan ITU 1999). There are a number of barriers to improved management of hazardous waste in Tasmania that were identified in a 1999 industry survey on a regional basis (Nolan ITU 1999), which appear to be still relevant to date. These are described in ranked order of importance in the table below.

Table: Main barriers to safe handling and disposal of hazardous wastes for the State and by region (% ranking)

Other barriers identified included excessive packaging of medical wastes, waste is a 'low priority' for some busy businesses, and the low population makes recycling and waste minimisation expensive.

Although many of the municipal landfills are licensed to receive certain hazardous wastes, there is no hazardous waste disposal site able to deal with all hazardous wastes in Tasmania (Nolan ITU 1999). Hazardous waste is expensive to handle, treat and dispose of due to the high degree of caution required in all aspects of its management. Hazardous waste that cannot be received by landfills in Tasmania is currently transported to the mainland. Transport of hazardous waste over long distances is not desirable and has the potential to cause significant environmental harm. Suitable hazardous waste disposal sites are required in Tasmania to store and/or treat hazardous waste in a safe and efficient manner.

There is also concern by landfill operators and waste generators that the disposal methods at many landfills are not inherently secure and hence there is potential for public health problems and environmental degradation. The current method of handling quarantine waste does not provide adequate protection to the agricultural industries or the Tasmanian community. There is also concern regarding the medical waste disposal at landfills due to the potential transmission of pathogens, viruses and bacteria. The lack of alternatives to landfill for medical wastes and quarantine materials, was therefore considered to be another barrier for improved hazardous waste management (Nolan ITU 1999).

The current development of the Statewide Waste Management Strategy and establishment of regional Waste Strategy Authorities may help to overcome some of these problems, but it appears that further work is still required to improve the management of hazardous wastes in Tasmania.

Future directions

It is apparent that a reliable and accurate method for determining the total hazardous waste generation rate and disposal route, such as a comprehensive waste transport certification, is required if accurate estimates of the hazardous waste generation rates and material flows are to be obtained. Improved accuracy of gauging quantities of hazardous waste through this process would also allow for the appropriate sizing of treatment and facilities (Nolan ITU 1999).

To overcome some of the numerous barriers to improved management of hazardous waste that have been highlighted in the 'Discussion', the following have been suggested (Nolan ITU 1999):

• Finalise the development of a Statewide Strategy for the disposal of hazardous waste in Tasmania. As part of this Strategy the establishment of regional facilities is required for the secure treatment and disposal of all hazardous wastes. For example, regional hazardous waste management sites would help to ensure that transport costs are minimised and adequate disposal sites are accessible for disposal of hazardous wastes.
   
• Establish clear guidelines and uniform standards on the level of treatment required for the various waste categories. At present disposal standards are only applied to contaminated soil.
   
• Review hazardous waste monitoring and disposal, including a review of existing landfill sites to ensure that any sites that do not meet either their license requirements or current standards for hazardous waste are closed and/or upgraded to receive hazardous waste appropriately.
   
• Education within industries, and among the general community for the proper identification and classification of hazardous wastes, to allow improved treatment and disposal processes.
   
• Education programs for all persons involved in handling hazardous wastes.
   
• Continue promoting recycling of materials and reduced reliance on landfill sites.
   
• Improve the management of medical waste produced at smaller surgeries, nursing homes and private residences. A specialist education and collection service is required for some premises that produce medical waste.
   
• Although there are currently many industries involved in pre-treatment of hazardous waste prior to disposal, wider communication of pre-treatment options and costs is required.
   
• Investigate large-scale treatment alternatives to landfill disposal of hazardous waste, particularly waste to energy options for the organic fraction.
   
• In general, hospitals and quarantine waste managers require alternatives to landfill disposal for their waste due to concern with the potential for transmission of pathogens, viruses, and bacteria. There is also a social issue with regard to the disposal of medical wastes in landfills open to the public.
   
• Further research should be conducted into current and emerging technologies in waste management.
   

Tasmania Together and the RMPS

Relevant Tasmania Together goals and standards for issue reports within the Settlements chapter are listed in the linked file. The Tasmania Together Progress Board reported on progress toward targets for benchmarks set (Tasmania Together Progress Board 2003). Indicators, targets, baseline data and latest data are provided for the nine months to June 2003. Further information, including progress report updates, is available from Tasmania Together.

Involvement of the community, and the fair and orderly use of resources are also fundamental principles of the RMPS. The RMPS objectives have been developed to advance the principles of sustainable development.

Recommendations

Related issues