Hundreds of Jobs and businesses are at risk of being lost due to proposed EPA changes and anti-competitive behavior in the NSW waste industry.

Through the EPA proposed changes to the fine’s orders and exemptions, the NSW government will be forcing small/medium skip bin and waste disposal operators out of business. These new changes will not only have significant ramifications across the waste industry resulting in hundreds of job losses, 
but it will have an immediate effect on builders, roofers, landscapers, small renovators, and everyday DIY mums and dads. 

Through these changes, the EPA is planning to implement stricter testing criteria to the fines and soils collected in skip bins and tipper trucks. The EPA proposed changes to the orders are impossible for waste facilities to comply with which will result in more waste being transferred to landfills. Illegal 
dumping will increase, and recycling will decrease. 

The effects of these proposed changes are already being felt with Major recycling facilities like Bingo and Banksmeadow Recycling already a step ahead of the EPA. They have introduced Tonnage rates and abolished cubic 
rates with the justification that this was needed due to changing EPA policies. As a result of this There is an increase of up to 550% in tipping fees. The increase in tipping fees is not sustainable for small 
business operators. This has already generated price gouging, anti-competitive behavior and monopulization with tipping facilities that also have skip bins available for hire offering them at much cheaper rates pricing small business owners out of the industry. The ACCC and small business commissioner need to intervene and investigate as this violates many rules and regulations. 

The Epa should be regulating the industry yet is relying on the industry to regulate itself. For the sake of transparency, The waste industry needs to have an independent regulator appointed to ensure small 
businesses have a chance to survive. 

These changes have been proposed with inadequate industry consultation. Small businesses that will bear the brunt of these changes were not consulted. Our opinions and the ramifications of these changes have not been taken into consideration when these policies were proposed.

Any proposed changes to EPA orders should be postponed until the findings of the independent review of DR Wilkinson is published.  Sufficient time is required (1+ years) to educate customers on proposed changes.