Queanbeyan
Hazardous Waste
What the results tell us for Queanbeyan
Council does not hold a licence to collect 'controlled' hazardous waste, but did establish a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Service in 2003–04, the last year of the reporting period. A licensed contractor transports the waste out of the council area for appropriate disposal.
Known quantities of hazardous waste collected during 2003–04 amounted to about 1994 kilograms (see Table 1). It is too early to identify any trend, except that amounts increased as public awareness of the collection increased.
It is known that other hazardous wastes are generated in the council area, but they are beyond council's responsibility and details are not known.
| Type | Amount of waste in 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Alkalis | 8.5 kg |
| Clinical and pharmaceutical | 7.5 kg |
| Inorganic chemicals | unknown |
| Miscellaneous | 1646 kg |
| Oils | 313 kg |
| Organic chemicals | unknown |
| Organic solvents | unknown |
| Paints, resins, inks, organic sludges | unknown |
| Pesticides | 18.5 kg |
| Reactive chemicals | unknown |
Source: Queanbeyan City Council
Imports and exports
In the absence of any type of landfill or hazardous waste treatment facility in the council area, once a year council organises a licensed contractor to export and dispose of hazardous waste that is generated and collected from domestic residences within the council area. Some waste goes to the ACT for appropriate disposal.
No waste is accepted from locations outside the council area.
About the data
Queanbeyan City Council provided information from council records.
Under National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) licensing arrangements, private contractors are required to comply with the NEPM for the collection, transportation and disposal of 'controlled' waste. Council has no control over these practices. The transport of the material is monitored through the NSW Environment Protection Authority. The NEPM includes a list of Controlled Wastes which are subject to procedures for information collection and sharing between jurisdictions (see http://www.ephc.gov.au).