Use our guide to help you choose the 'right' recycler at work
What do you need to think about when choosing a new recycler? This guide will help keep you on the right side of the law and secure the most appropriate waste contract for your workplace.
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 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.
Choosing the right recycler
Choosing the right recycler requires due diligence. But how do you know what you need to know when engaging a service provider?
Key questions to ask a recycler
We’ve made it easy for your business with a handy checklist of the key questions to help ensure a recycler is acting legally and responsibly.
- Do you handle [insert name of material you want to recycle] and what, if any, will the cost be?
- Do you have a licence to collect, transport and/or recycle/dispose of the [insert name of material] and/or have development consent for the related activity on site?
- Are you currently under investigation or have you ever been fined for breaches of any environmental laws?
- Do you have third party accreditation or are you a member of an industry body?
- What happens to the items/materials you recycle?
- Can I inspect your recycling facilities?
- Who pays for the recycling?
- Will you provide regular reports on your recycling performance?
For more information on why these questions are important and what to look for when choosing a recycler, download the free Choosing the Right Recycler Checklist.
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.
Tips
- Choose “I’m recycling from WORK” when searching for a recycler for your workplace on the homepage of Recycling Near You.
- Find out how to recycle better with our Resources for Businesses and Workplaces.
- Discover how to drive better environmental outcomes for your business by partnering with Planet Ark.
