Use our guide to help you choose the 'right' recycler at work
What do you need to think about when choosing a new recycler? Check out these guides that will keep you on the right side of the law and help you secure the most appropriate waste contract for your requirements.
Choosing the right recycler
Choosing the right recycler involves a little research to find the potential service provider and then asking them a few questions to ensure that they are acting legally and responsibly.
Key questions to ask a recycler
The Choosing the Right Recycler Checklist outlines the key questions you should ask a potential recycler to help you ensure they are doing the right thing environmentally and legally.
Waste and recycling contracts
These guides may assist your business to secure the most appropriate waste and recycling contract for your requirements.
- Sustainability Victoria has produced the Best Practice Waste and Recycling Contracts for Business guide. It outlines three simple steps that you can take to identify the best waste and recycling service and contract arrangement for your business.
- The Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Resource Management (now Department of Environment and Heritage Protection) has produced reThink Business Waste: A Guide to Reviewing Waste and Recycling Contracts and Service Agreements. This guide is intended to help businesses evaluate their waste management activities and secure the most appropriate waste contract for their individual requirements.
Your legal obligations
Now that you've decided to recycle the waste generated by your workplace, it’s important to make sure you choose the ‘right’ recycler. Most companies will transport and/or process the materials they collect in the correct manner, however, like most industries there may be some businesses that don’t do the right thing. This could include illegally exporting waste, dumping materials or operating a facility that doesn’t meet regulations.
Under the environmental legislation in your State or Territory, you may have a legal obligation to ensure that the transporter and the facility receiving your waste have legal authority to undertake the relevant activity. (Please note the following is for information only and does not constitute legal advice.)
The environmental legislation in your State or Territory may include rules about how waste should be safely transported and managed to protect the land, air and waterways. Waste and recycling facilities and transporters are required to abide by the environmental legislation in the States and Territories where they operate, as well as any specific restrictions that have been included within their licence (if they need one). Generally speaking a recycler will require development consent, usually from the local council, to operate a facility.
The right recycler therefore is one who:
- has legal authority by holding a licence and/or by having the development consent to undertake the activity; and
- is conveniently located and offers value for money.
For further information about your legal obligations and environmental legislation in your location, go to business.gov.au and scroll down to your state. NSW businesses can refer to Section 143 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
Using Recycling Near You to find recyclers
The directory on Recycling Near You is open to all recyclers to list their services. Planet Ark reviews new listings to ensure the recycler isn’t overtly advertising or recruiting for business on the site. Planet Ark does not endorse any of the services listed in the directory and although we investigate and act on any complaints of inaccurate information, we don’t have the capacity to verify all the listed information. This means it’s worthwhile for you to do a little investigation when looking for and making contact with a recycler.
All recyclers in the directory have an option to list any third-party accreditation or industry body membership they have. Look for information entered in the Accreditation and Membership space in the business listing.
