Waste
There are several sources of greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal activities. The only waste sector activities within the emissions trading scheme will be operating a landfill and incinerating waste. Emissions from wastewater treatment are not included in the scheme at this stage.
Landfill operators will have obligations for the methane emitted through the biodegradation of organic waste. Waste incinerators emit carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, but the carbon dioxide from combusting organic waste will not be included in the scheme.
Operators of landfills and waste incinerators whose waste stream contains some element of household waste will be participants in the emissions trading scheme.
Participants can start reporting their emissions voluntarily from 1 January 2011. Participants will be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions from 1 January 2012.
The waste sector starts having obligations to surrender emission units on 1 January 2013. The first due date they must surrender units by is 30 April 2014 for the period 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.
The government won’t give waste sector participants free emission units. This is because they can pass on the costs of the scheme to their customers, which means the impact of the scheme on the profits of waste sector participants will be developed and released for consultation during 2009 and 2010.
Last updated: 15 September 2008
