Recycling facilities
A recycling facility receives, stores and processes pre-sorted single streams of waste and processes it into a recycled product, eg recycled paper, plastic containers or recycled aggregate.
A recycling facility can receive its sorted wastes (eg bailed cardboard or glass) from material recovery facilities and transfer stations, or directly from the producer. The wastes are then processed in some manner to create a saleable product to an established market.
‘Waste or recycling depots’ which are activities of environmental significance as prescribed by Schedule 1, Part A of the Environmental Protection Act 1993 and must be licensed or otherwise authorised under Part 6 of the Act. An environmental authorisation cannot be issued until development approval has been granted.
The Resource recovery and waste transfer depots environmental guidelines1 have been formulated to assist those establishing depots in South Australia for resource recovery before transfer for disposal.
The guidelines include details of issues to consider and address when preparing development proposals and management plans, which will be referred to the EPA for comment under sections 5, 37, 46B, 46C, 46D or 49 of the Development Act 1993.
Appropriate development authorisation is required to establish a recycling facility before an environmental authorisation, eg an authority licence, can be issued.
These guidelines are intended for new and redeveloped facilities where applicable.
Additional guidelines referenced below may also be used to determine the minimum standards required for waste transfer depots in South Australia.
- Waste definitions guideline
- Undercover storage requirements for waste/recycling depots
- Guideline for stockpile management
- Waste-derived materials: Guiding principles for determining approval processes and product standards
- For information on household disposal and recycling requirements, please contact your local council
- South Australia's Waste Strategy
1 The Environment Protection (Waste to Resources) Policy 2010 requires the EPA take this guideline document into consideration when assessing development applications and environmental authorisations for proposed recycling facility sites. Proponents/licensees need to provide information relating to these considerations to the EPA, so an appropriate assessment of suitability can be made.
