Waste tracking for waste transporters
Waste tracking helps stamp out illegal dumping, prevents waste going to the wrong facility and stops unfair competition.
The following information will help you understand your responsibilities as a waste transporter and determine what you need to do to comply with the tracking waste.
Responsibilities for tracking waste
Waste transporters are responsible for ensuring that high-risk waste is transported only after all the necessary documents and checks have been completed.
Types of waste that must be tracked
The types of waste that must be tracked are listed in the Schedule 1 of the Environment Protection Act 1993. For more information see the fact sheets Characterising your waste and Waste that must be tracked.
Consignment authorisation
A consignment authorisation is issued to a waste consignor (either a waste producer or a transporter acting on the producers behalf) by the EPA or by an approved receiving facility. It allows the transport of specified waste from a consignor to a receiving facility. It can cover multiple loads and remain valid for up to one year. A separate paper transport certificate must accompany each load of waste transported.
Transport certificate
A paper waste transport certificate is a document containing required information about a load of waste and must accompany that load of waste during transport. It includes information about the waste, the consignor, transporter and receiving facility.
Users of the EPA’s online waste tracking system can create a transport certificate using the system.
Waste transported out of SA
If the waste is to be transported out of SA, ensure that the consignment authorisation is valid for the destination state or territory. See the Transporting waste interstate or overseas fact sheet.
If you are transporting waste to another state or territory, you must comply with the laws of the state or territory that you pass through once you leave SA. The 5-docket transport certificates are available from the EPA are valid for waste transported from SA to other states and territories.
Penalties for non-compliance
Failure to comply with a licence condition is a breach of section 45(5) of the Environment Protection Act 1993. This may result in the EPA taking regulatory action against the licensee for contravening a condition of an environmental authorisation (maximum penalty $120,000).
There are significant penalties for those caught illegally dumping waste. For individuals, penalties can be as high as $500,000 or 4 years imprisonment. For a corporate body the penalty can be as high as $2 million.
Waste producers or transporters who dispose of waste illegally could be fined up to $120,000 and face up to two years imprisonment and corporations face fines of up to $250,000, under clause 10 of the Environment Protection (Waste to Resources) Policy 2010. Poor operators could even have their EPA licence revoked.
It is an offence to provide false or misleading information and can result in a maximum fine of $60,000.
What do you need to do?
Before transporting waste from one place to another you must:
- ensure that there is a consignment authorisation for the waste movement
- ensure that there is a completed waste transport certificate for the load of waste
- carry the waste transport certificate in your vehicle.
Remove the waste from the vehicle only after:
- you provide the waste transport certificate to the receiving facility
- the receiving facility agrees that the waste can be unloaded, or
- you are directed to remove the waste by an authorised officer.
If you transfer the waste from one vehicle to another check that you:
- record the transfer on the waste transport certificate
- give the waste transport certificate to the driver of the vehicle carrying the waste.
If the receiving facility does not accept the waste, check that the receiving facility:
- signs the waste transport certificate stating that they have rejected the waste
- advises you to take the waste to another receiving facility that can legally accept it, or to take it back to the waste consignor.
If the receiving facility does not nominate another receiving facility, you should either:
- take the waste to another receiving facility that can legally accept the waste, or
- take the waste back to the waste producer where the waste was collected from, and, in either case
- advise the EPA that the waste was rejected and indicate where you are taking the waste.
Record-keeping
Waste transporters who do not use an approved online tracking system must keep copies of waste transport certificates for at least 12 months.
If you use an approved online tracking system you may not need to keep certain records such as copies of transport certificates. Most notifications can be done online using the EPA online tracking system.
Online tracking system
Online tracking helps reduce the burden of paperwork on businesses, and makes enforcement and compliance easier. For example, businesses tracking waste movements online are not required to submit paper forms, as the EPA can automatically collate the required data.
The EPA online tracking system can be used for waste transported within SA or into SA from other states or territories.
Find out more about the online tracking system.
