A SIGNIFICANT increase to South Australia’s solid waste levy has led to people becoming “innovative with their waste” and produced “good outcomes”, according to state Liberal MP Adrian Pederick.
In the Limestone Coast this week in his role as presiding member of the Environment Resources and Development parliamentary committee, Mr Pederick and his political colleagues heard public submissions into the state’s recycling inquiry.
The fact-finding visit to the region included tours of Van Schaik’s Bio Gro and Holla-Fresh to observe the use of wood residue as heating fuel, while the committee also heard concerns from regional stakeholders at Monday’s public hearing at Mount Gambier’s City Hall.
Among those to denounce the 40pc levy increase, announced earlier this year, was Mount Gambier councillor Paul Jenner, who addressed the committee as a member of the public.
Mr Jenner claimed most of the proceeds from the levy increase would remain within metropolitan areas and would bring little benefit to regional areas.
Calling on the State Government to “treat citizens as citizens” and not as if residents were “silly”, Mr Jenner said the levy increase was a departmental “cost shift from waste to environment”.
“If the 40pc increase is for the environment then call it an environmental levy,” Mr Jenner said.
“Do not play games because we are not silly and should not be treated as such.
“Call it an environmental levy and tell the people exactly what you are going to do with it.”
He argued the environment and waste should be “two separate identities”.
“The government needs to try and find out how much is needed for the waste issues and put a levy on that,” he said.
Mount Gambier City and Wattle Range councils, along with the Limestone Coast Local Government Association have all made submissions to the inquiry, with improved recyclable packaging, compost bins and the levy increase among the issues raised.
Committee presiding member Adrian Pederick indicated the levy increase had impacted positively in some areas.
“Sometimes we need to trigger that cost factor to make people react and get better waste management strategies,” Mr Pederick said.
“We have had some push back on it from all sorts of people in the recycling field whether it is recyclers or through local governments.
“But at the end of the day it is about driving outcomes to put less material into landfill and find more innovative ways to recycle and that will take some time and some costs which are different for local governments and are different amounts across the state.”
Mr Pederick confirmed some funding supplied by the levy increase will be cycled back into “environmental projects”.
“As a government we need to spread the revenue,” he said.
“There is a portion of the money going back into recycling measures and better waste management but there is some also going to beach erosion.”
Mr Pederick said regional areas across the state must be innovative with the recycling issue and “find good use” of materials.
“To reverse the solid waste levy decisions would be a big decision for the government down the track,” he said.
“Councils are available to apply for grant applications that are coming in.
“If they have got some resource recovery places they want to put in motion there are grant applications which can help with that.”
The committee also held a public hearing in Millicent yesterday, with the inquiry findings expected to be presented to parliament next year.
