Environmental guidelines for waste
The EPA produces guidance material to assist the community in meeting regulatory requirements.
Waste classification guidelines
It is the responsibility of those who generate the waste to classify it. To assist waste generators classify the wastes they produce, the EPA has developed the Waste Classification Guidelines, which outline a clear and easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for classifying waste under the current classification system.
The guidelines are comprised of four parts:
Resource recovery exemption guidelines
The guidelines below provide an assessment framework and application structure for any person applying to the EPA for a Resource Recovery Exemption to enable the use of waste as a fuel or the land application of a waste material as fill or as a fertiliser or soil amendment. Proponents wishing to apply for a Resource Recovery Exemption must, in accordance with these guidelines, demonstrate the waste material is of benefit in its proposed use and poses minimal risk of harm to the environment or human health.
Biosolids guidelines
The land application of biosolids and any material mixed with or produced with biosolids is regulated in NSW under the Environmental Guidelines: Use and Disposal of Biosolids Products (the Biosolids Guidelines) and the Biosolids Exemption 2008 (the Biosolids Exemption).
The Biosolids Guidelines help planners, designers and operators of sewerage systems, and those involved with the processing and end-use of biosolids, by establishing requirements for the beneficial use and disposal of biosolids to land in NSW.
The conditions of the Biosolids Exemption defers to the Biosolids Guidelines in their entirety so where biosolids are managed in accordance with the Biosolids Guidelines, the land application of that material is exempted from certain requirements of the waste regulatory framework. For more information about exemptions, please refer to the Resource Recovery Exemptions page of this website.
Landfill guidelines
The guidelines below provide a consistent and environmentally responsible approach to managing landfills across NSW.
Page last updated: 12 July 2012
