WASTE INDUSTRY CHANGES

We will cease accepting soil waste on 7th May 2022.

Dear Valued Customers,

For those who may not be aware, the Environmental Protection Agency of NSW (EPA), has begun implementing changes to the waste resource recovery and disposal industries which are proposed to come into effect in 1st July 2022.

This will include an increased levy rate for recovered soil and earth substances to be recycled and increased fines for non-compliance with strict regulations set forth by the state government.

The implemented changes will dramatically affect many factors for all those involved industry wide as resource recovery facilities are forced to shift soil waste charges to a tonnage rate (fees based on weight instead of capacity). However, the EPA is only imposing this change to recovered soil waste, but the NSW resource recovery facilities are now attempting to use this as an excuse to implement this tonnage rate across the board for all waste types which aren’t imposed with a government levy.

Put simply, this change will ONLY benefit the tips who are planning to charge all waste types based on weight and then further increase profits through resource recovery methods (recycling).

Sadly, independent skip bin operators like ourselves, the many construction industry businesses we service and the average homeowners, will suffer most as a direct result of this change. Currently, the skip bin industry and waste tipping facilities operate on cubic metre pricing and consumers pay an upfront agreed fee for hire, transport, and disposal of their waste, regardless of the contents with exception of asbestos or other prohibited materials. As you are aware, Freddy’s Skip Bins has never imposed a weight restriction on our bin sizes, however this is not the case with all other skip bin operators in NSW.

Under the new proposal skip bin tipping costs will rise by 400-500% as the waste will be charged by weight rather than cubic capacity. Aside from exorbitant cost increases to service soil and earth materials, the challenge the skip bin industry now faces is not being able to accurately quote/charge their customers upfront as the tipping costs for soil are impossible to calculate until after tipping has been completed.

The EPA has advised that the proposed levy increases will come into effect in July 2022, however, most resource recovery facilities have already begun imposing the tonnage rates to skip bin operators since late March 2022, restricting our ability to do business. Despite already having an increase to our tipping fees, Freddy’s Skip Bins has continued to shelter this additional cost from our customers as a gesture of good faith in accordance with maintaining our weight-free limit on bin prices, having continued this practice for the last 16 years.

As a small business which has already weathered the fallout from Covid-19, we feel it is unfeasible for our business to continue this practice and unfair to our customers to service skip bins containing soil under these conditions with the uncertain increased costs.

Regrettably, we have little option other than to cease accepting soil waste in response to the drastic proposals by the EPA and tonnage rates set by all the tipping facilities. For any bins that have been placed and overdue, we strongly recommend having the bin serviced as there will be a variation charged for the additional cost of tipping.

The following changes to our services will take effect from 7^th May 2022.

Any previous agreements or understandings will not apply moving forward after this date.

• We will no longer accept any soil and earth excavated material in our skip bins at this stage until we have more clarification from the EPA & waste resource recovery facilities in regards to costs.
• Any skip bins found to contain this material will regrettably have to be charged by the tonnage rate imposed by the tipping facilities – resulting in a much higher cost for the customer. All Customers will be required to pay a bond in advance to cover the estimated fees. An under/over charge will be required if the estimation was not correct.

Prohibited soil materials will include the following:

• Soil & Excavated Materials
• Clay or Mud
• Sand
• Shale

The EPA has only imposed this order to recovered soil materials only, however, the waste/resource recovery facilities who operate independently of the government are rallying to apply this tonnage charge to ALL waste materials in the near future and not just soil.

Only the soil levy charge is government mandated, everything else is not – So why are the tips insisting on a tonnage charge for everything?

If the resource recovery facilities force our hand, this means all bin sizes, all waste types for everyone will be charged on weight with the final charges only known after being tipped.

If the EPA’s proposed actions proceed without reigning in the independent resource recovery facilities, costs for home renovators will rise, many jobs/businesses will be lost, illegal dumping may increase and whilst taking into account environmental considerations, there will no real benefit to the NSW environment and/or our economy.

You can learn more about this issue by referring to the following resources below:

• An article published by The Leader Newspaper on April 12^th 2022:
  “Skip bin tip fees could rise 400-500 per cent under proposed EPA changes”
• An article published online by 2GB.com on April 29^th 2022:
  “Ben Fordham reveals major price hike coming for Aussies taking waste to the tip”
• On Air with 2GB Radio – Ben Fordham Live “Ben Fordham reveals plans for major increase in the cost of waste dumping”
• NSW EPA statement on recovered soil fines published on 22 April 2022, read the official statement on their website HERE

Your voice and opinion matters!

You can help join the already growing number of businesses and people who are standing up to voice their concerns to the EPA and various NSW political MP’s. The more noise we can make, the more they will listen and stop this proposal moving forward and ultimately prevent the tips from applying tonnage rates to all waste types.

Please see the contact details below if you wish to have your say:

• Chris Lamont, NSW Commissioner for Small Business – Direct email address: chris.lamont@smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au
• Eleni Petinos, Minister for Small Business and Fair Trading – Send an Online Email Message HERE
• James Griffin, Minister for Environment and Heritage – Send an Online Email Message HERE
• Dominic Perrottet, Premier of NSW – Send an Online Email Message HERE
• NSW EPA, Environmental Protection Agency – Direct email addresses:
  info@epa.nsw.gov.au
  waste.exemptions@epa.nsw.gov.au

LISTEN TO BEN FORDHAM COVER THIS ISSUE ON 2GB RADIO