Department of the Environment and Water Resources annual report 2006–07
Volume two
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007
ISSN 1441-9335
Legislation annual reports 2006–07 (continued)
Operation of the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989
This annual report is prepared in accordance with section 61 of the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989. It covers the operation of the Act from 1 July 2006 until 30 June 2007.
Purpose of the Act
The purpose of the Act is to regulate the export, import, transit and disposal of hazardous waste to ensure that human beings and the environment, both within and outside Australia, are protected from the harmful effects of hazardous waste.
The Act and its 1996 amendments enable Australia to meet all its obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. The Basel Convention regulates the international movements of hazardous wastes.
Functions of the department
The main functions performed by the Department of the Environment and Water Resources in relation to hazardous waste are:
- processing export, import and transit permit applications under the Act
- ensuring compliance with and enforcement of the Act
- preparing, implementing and amending legislation relating to the international movements of hazardous waste to and from or through Australia
- formulating and implementing policies relating to the international movements of hazardous waste to and from or through Australia
- providing administrative assistance to the Hazardous Waste Technical Group, which provides advice to the department on hazardous waste management
- participating in international forums, such as the Basel Convention and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which deal with the international movements of hazardous waste
- providing information to stakeholders on the Act and the permit process.
Basel Convention
The Basel Convention was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme and adopted on 22 March 1989. Australia ratified the convention on 5 February 1992 and it entered into force on 5 May 1992. The convention imposes two kinds of obligations on members:
- specifically, to control the export and import of hazardous and other wastes (other wastes being household wastes or incinerator residues), to provide for notification and consent, as required by the convention, and to track shipments to environmentally sound disposal
- more generally, to minimise the movement and generation of hazardous and other wastes, and ensure that hazardous wastes are disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
The 8th meeting of the conference of the parties to the convention was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 27 November to 1 December 2006. Among other things, the meeting began developing a work plan for the environmentally sound management of electronic waste focusing on the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
Regulations
Regulations made under the Act provide for:
- setting fees for permit applications
- the operation of arrangements under Article 11 of the Basel Convention, which allows transboundary movements of waste between parties and non-parties or under modified control procedures
- general administrative arrangements required by the Act.
Permits
In 2006—07 the department processed 48 applications for permits to import and export hazardous wastes (31 exports, 16 imports and one transit). Twenty-one permits were granted, two applications were refused and one was withdrawn; 25 applications were still to be resolved as at 30 June 2007. All permit applications were processed within the statutory timeframes. Details of permit applications received in 2006—07, including those not resolved by 30 June, are presented in the tables below.
Fee income
This year $63,360 was received in income from fees.
Contraventions, enforcement and suspension of permits
The department continued to focus on the need to strengthen enforcement and take further actions to prevent and combat illegal traffic in hazardous waste. Enforcement action this year included seizing illegal shipments of electronic waste, household waste and used lead acid batteries.
Publications
Under section 33 of the Act particulars of all applications, permits and variations were published in the Commonwealth of Australia Government Notices Gazette.
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Granted (d/m/y) |
Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sims Group Ltd | 2,000 | 7/07/2006 | Waste glass cullet from cathode ray tubes transported from Sims Recycling Solutions (Australia) to LimburgGlas BV (Sims-Mirec) (The Netherlands) |
| Exide Australia Pty Ltd | 8,400 | 15/09/2006 | Spent wet automotive and industrial lead sulfuric acid batteries transported from Exide Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Exide Technologies Vernon Smelter (United States) |
| Transwaste Technologies Pty Ltd | 240,000 litres | 20/09/2006 | Waste from production, formulation and use of resins, latex, plasticisers, glues and adhesives transported from Transwaste Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia) to New Zealand |
| Gritter Instrument Manufacturing | 2.5 | 1/11/2006 | Dental amalgam sludge transported from Gritter Instrument Manufacturing Company Pty Ltd (Australia) to Dental Eco Service GmbH (Austria) |
| MRI (Aust) Pty Ltd |
150 | 4/12/2006 | Nickel, cadmium and metal hydride batteries transported from MRI (Aust) Pty Ltd (Australia) to Kobar Ltd (Republic of Korea) |
| Umicore Australia Ltd | 2,000 | 14/12/2006 | Waste zinc residues containing lead and cadmium transported from Umicore Australia Ltd (Australia) to Umicore Oxyde (Belgium) |
| BP Refinery (Kwinana) Pty Ltd |
600 | 21/12/2006 | Unregenerated hydrotreater catalyst transported from BP Refinery (Kwinana) Pty Ltd (Australia) to Metrex B.V. (The Netherlands) |
| TES-AMM Australia Pty Ltd | 500 | 28/05/2007 | Electronic waste transported from TES-AMM Australia Ltd (Australia) to TES-AMM Singapore Pty Ltd (Singapore) |
| Dodd and Dodd Group Pty Ltd | 3,500 | 01/07/2007 | Used lead acid batteries transported from Dodd and Dodd Group Pty Ltd (Australia) to Samji Metal Industrial Company Ltd (Republic of Korea) |
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Granted | Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHD Pty Ltd | 13.3 | 04/05/2006 | Pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated oil & equipment transported from Micronesia Department of Health, Education and Social Services (Micronesia) to BCD Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| GHD Pty Ltd | 3.4 | 14/08/2006 | Pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls transported from Niue Health Department (Niue Island) to BCD Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| GHD Pty Ltd | 1.5 | 08/12/2006 | Pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls transported from Ministry of Environment, Land and Agriculture Kiribati (Kiribati) to BCD Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Stericorp Ltd | 180 | 14/09/2006 | Clinical and related waste. Waste solids containing toxic liquid transported from Stericorp Ltd (New Zealand) to Stericorp Ltd (Australia) |
| Oceania Maritime Services Pty Ltd | 123 15,000 litres |
20/12/2006 | Solid and liquid waste transported from Antarctica from Institut Polaire Francais, Dumont Durville Station (French Antarctica) to Veolia Environmental Services Aust. Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| GHD Pty Ltd | 14 | 13/02/2007 | Pesticides and contaminated packaging, and polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated capacitors transported from Ministry for Forests, Environment and Conservation Solomon Islands (Solomon Islands) to BCD Technologies Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Universal Metals Pty Ltd | 125 | 15/03/2007 | Crushed waste lamps and fluorescent tubes containing mercury transported from Medi Chem Waste Services Ltd (New Zealand) to Advanced Recycling Australasia Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd | 2,000 | 26/03/2007 | Used lead acid batteries transported from Sims Pacific Metals Ltd (New Zealand) to Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Recyclers Australia Pty Ltd | 500 | 27/03/2007 | Used lead acid batteries transported from Pago Pago (American Samoa) to Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Holyman Shipping Services Pty Ltd T/A Patrick Defence Logistics | 50 | 26/04/2007 | Discharged military communication batteries (lithium batteries) transported from Holyman Shipping Services Pty Ltd (East Timor) to Thiess Services Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Holyman Shipping Services Pty Ltd T/A Patrick Defence Logistics | 50 | 12/06/2007 | Discharged military communication batteries (lithium batteries) transported from Holyman Shipping Services Pty Ltd (Solomon Islands) to Thiess Services Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Granted | Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seawings Shipping Pty Ltd | 2,000 | 27/03/2007 | Used lead acid batteries from Dominion Trading Company Ltd (New Zealand) to Sang Shin Metallic Co Ltd (Republic of Korea) via Brisbane, Singapore and Taiwan |
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Received | Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austrade Alliance Pty Ltd | 10,800 | 17/07/2006 | Used lead acid batteries from Total Auto Recyclers (Australia) to Sang Shin Metallic Co Ltd (Korea) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 600,000 litres | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Bayer Industry Services GmbH and Co OHG, Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 4,000 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to SAVA GmbH (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 200 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to SAVA GmbH (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 3,000 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Bayer Industry Services GmbH and Co OHG, Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 2,000 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Bayer Industry Services GmbH and Co OHG, Dormagen (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 200 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to AGR Vertrieb GmbH (RZR) (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 4,000 | 27/10/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to AGR Vertrieb GmbH (RZR) (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 850 | 27/11/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to AGR Vertrieb GmbH (RZR) (Germany) |
| Orica Australia Pty Ltd | 850 | 27/11/2006 | Hexachlorobenzene and related waste from Orica Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to SAVA GmbH (Germany) |
| SAFT NIFE Power Systems Australia Pty Ltd | 300 | 18/12/2006 | Waste comprising nickel-cadmium batteries from SAFT NIFE Power Systems Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to SAFT NIFE AB (Sweden) |
| Powerhouse Batteries | 10,000 | 16/01/2007 | Used lead acid batteries from Powerhouse Batteries (Australia) to Korea Zinc (Korea) |
| Sims E-Recycling Pty Ltd | 150 | 24/01/2007 | Waste nickel cadmium batteries and nickel metal hydride batteries from Sims E-Recycling Pty Ltd (Australia) to S.N.A.M., Viviez (France) |
| Exide Australia Pty Ltd | 12,000 | 07/02/2007 | Waste comprising lead acid batteries and other lead scrap from Exide Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Exide Technologies (New Zealand) |
| Exide Australia Pty Ltd | 36,000 | 07/02/2007 | Waste comprising lead acid batteries and other lead scrap from Exide Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Exide Technologies (New Zealand) |
| Consolidated Alloys | 180 | 26/03/2007 | Lead solder dross from Consolidated Alloys (Australia) to Hydrometal S.A. (Belgium) |
| Metalcorp Recyclers Pty Ltd | Pending | 25/04/2007 | Automobile shredder residue from Metalcorp Recyclers Pty Ltd (Australia) to Metal Tek Development (MTD) America Ltd (United States) |
| TIC Group (Third Party Services) Pty Ltd | Pending | 27/05/2007 | Cathode ray tube glass cullet from TIC Group (Third Party Services) Pty Ltd (Australia) to Young Chang Co. Ltd (Republic of Korea) |
| Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific Pte Ltd | 2,500 | 05/06/2007 | Used Xerox office equipment from Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Australia) to Fuji Xerox Eco-manufacturing Co. Ltd (Thailand) |
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Received | Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simsmetal Ltd | 300 | 14/03/2006 | Drained lead acid batteries from Etablissement Metallurgiques Caledoniens (New Caledonia) to Australian Refined Alloys (Australia) |
| Recyclers Australia Pty Ltd | 250 | 24/01/2007 | Used lead acid batteries from Tarawa Materials Recovery Facility (Kiribati) to Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Recyclers Australia Pty Ltd | 500 | 08/06/2007 | Used lead acid batteries from Pacific Recycles Co. (Samoa) to Australian Refined Alloys Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Stericorp Ltd | 60 | 16/06/2007 | Waste solids containing toxic liquid not otherwise specified (clothes, sharps and vials contaminated with cytotoxic medicines) from United Environmental T/A Transpacific Technical Services (New Zealand) to Stericorp Ltd (Australia) |
| OK Tedi Mining Ltd | 500,000 litres | 19/06/2007 | Contaminated transformer oil >50ppm polychlorinated biphenyls from OK Tedi Mining Ltd (Papua New Guinea) to BCD Technologies (Australia) |
| Ace Waste Group Pty Ltd | Pending | 20/06/2007 | Cytotoxic contaminated medical waste from International Waste Ltd (New Zealand) to Ace Waste Pty Ltd (Australia) |
| Applicant | Quantity (tonnes) | Refusal date | Type of waste, disposal operation & destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exide Australia Pty Ltd | 8,400 | 13/09/2006 | Spent wet automotive and industrial lead sulfuric acid batteries from Exide Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) to Joong-il Metals Inc (Recycling Facility) (Republic of Korea) |
| Club Assist Pty Ltd | 6,500 | 16/03/2007 | Used lead acid batteries from Club Assist Pty Ltd (Australia) to Joong-Il (Republic of Korea) |
Contents
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window