AGY-1147 | Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority (1971 - 1990) Waste Management Authority (1990-1992)

Full description

The Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority was established as a statutory body representing the Crown, by the Waste Disposal Act, 1970 (Act No. 97 1970). The Authority consisted of six members as follows: A Director appointed by the Governor;
A Deputy Director appointed by the Governor;
Two officers of councils selected from a panel of six persons nominated by the Local Government Association of New South Wales;
Two persons nominated by the Minister because of their knowledge of or experience in the industry;
The President of the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. (1) The first members of the Authority were named in the NSW Government Gazette to commence office on 15 June 1971. (2) The major role of the Authority was to administer the transportation, collection, reception, treatment, storage and disposal of waste within the metropolitan region of Sydney. The Authority could also engage in any of the following:
Conducting surveys and investigations into problems relating to the creation, transportation, collection, reception, treatment, storage or disposal of waste;
Conferring with the Pollution Control Authority on matters relating to creation, transportation, collection, reception, treatment, storage or disposal of waste and following this recommend to the Minister legislative change, extension of its own responsibilities, creation of new bodies to carry out these tasks or other relevant recommendation;
Preparing reports and advising the Minister on any matter referred to it;
Submitting reports prepared on its own volition in any area of its responsibilities.
Performing any consequential acts as may be necessary to carry out its role. (3) The Authority could also:
establish regional depots for the reception, treatment, storage or disposal of waste, and acquire land not necessarily within the boundaries of the Metropolitan Waste Disposal Region for this purpose;
(4) enter into contracts or agreements for performing services, supplying goods, plant, machinery or materials in connection with its functions;
with Ministerial approval enter agreements to establish, or establish and operate depots not necessarily within the geographical boundaries of the Authority
register or license corporate bodies or sole operators working in the waste disposal industry (apart from employees of the Authority) and premises in which waste disposal occurred; (5)
raise loans for any purpose relating to the performance of its responsibilities, (6)
impose fees or charges for services rendered e.g. receiving waste at a depot; issuing licenses; giving permission, providing information or supplying services (7)
Recordkeeping responsibilities of the Authority included the maintenance of a register of certificates and licenses (8) and retaining accounts to be collated in an annual statement of accounts to the Minister (9) The responsibilities of the Authority could be delegated to members of the Authority, employees, a council in the relevant area or any other person with the approval of the Minister. (10) The Waste Disposal Region covered the area of 40 city, municipal and shire councils and was bordered to the east by the seaboard, to the north by the Hawkesbury River, Baulkham Hills Shire and Windsor Municipality, to the west by Penrith City and to the south by Camden Municipality, Campbelltown City and Sutherland Shire. Waste disposal work involved liquid wastes such as acids, chemicals, tannery discharges, soluble oils, and slurry plus the solid wastes of abandoned motor vehicles, aluminium cans, refuse, scrap metal, and tyres. The Castlereagh Regional Liquid Waste Depot commenced operations on 5 March 1974 (11) while the first regional depot for solid waste disposal at Jack's Gully (near Camden) began on 1 April 1975. (12) Part V of the Waste Disposal Act (No. 97 1970) and the regulations made under this section came into completely effect on 1 April 1975, and provided for the licensing and registration of transporters of waste; occupiers of treatment, storage or disposal depots; and occupiers of premises on which trade waste is created. (13) The Waste Disposal (Amendment) Act, 1989 (Act No 30, 1989) altered the name of the Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority to the Waste Management Authority. (14). The new name came into usage on 30 June 1989. (15) The amending Act also enabled the Authority to construct an operate a high temperature waste incineration facility for the destruction of intractable waste and other waste which could not be disposed of by other environmentally acceptable methods. (16) The Waste Management Authority Board was reconstituted by the Waste Disposal (Further Amendment Act) 1989 (Act No 38, 1989). The new Board was to consist of a Managing Director and six part-time members appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the Minister. The main function of the Board was to determine the policies of the Authority and to ensure that the activities of the Authority were performed properly, effectively and efficiently. (17) The executive officers of the Authority were the Managing Director and the Deputy Managing Director. The former was responsible for the management and control of the Authority and the latter had responsibilities determined by the Managing Director. (18) Both the Board and the Executive officers were responsible to the Minister for the exercise of their functions. (19) In March 1991 the government decided not to establish any new landfills with the responsibility for establishing new landfill sites passing to local government and the private sector. The government also introduced a Council Recycling Rebate Scheme. The Waste Management Authority relied extensively on contracting out to private companies during 1990-91. (20) In the year ended 30 June 1991 the objectives of the Authority were described as follows:
To minimise waste generation by the best practical means;
To increase recycling to optimal levels;
To develop facilities for the recovery of materials and energy from waste where technically and economically feasible;
To set and enforce standards for the environmentally sound storage, collection and transportation of waste;
To ensure that adequate waste treatment and disposal facilities are provided and operated in an effective, economic and environmentally sound manner;
To recover and utilise biogas from landfill sites; and
To maintain the Authority as an effective, efficient and financially self supporting operation. (21) The Waste Management Authority was abolished when the Protection of the Environment Administration Act, 1991 reconstituted the Authority as ‘Waste Recycling and Processing Service’ The regulatory and licensing functions of the Authority were transferred to the newly established Environment Protection Authority and the operational side of the Waste Management Authority was established as a Government Trading Enterprise which was conducted under the name Waste Service New South Wales.( 22) These arrangements became effective on 1 March 1992. (23) ENDNOTES:
(1) Waste Disposal Act, 1970 s. 7
(2) NSW Government Gazette 14 May 1971 p. 1546
(3) Waste Disposal Act, 1970 s. 17
(4) Ibid. s. 18
(5) Ibid. s. 22
(6) Ibid. s. 35
(7) Ibid. s. 46
(8) Ibid. s. 28
(9) Ibid. s. 31
(10) Ibid. s. 21
(11) Annual Report of the Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority for the year ended 30 June 1974 in the Joint Volumes of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly 1974-75 Vol. 3 page 1354
(12) Annual Report of the Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority for the year ended 30 June 1975 in the Joint Volumes of Papers presented to the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly 1975-76 Vol. 4 page 67.
(13) Ibid. Page 73
(14) Waste Disposal (Amendment) Act 1989 Schedule 1 (1)
(15) NSW Government Gazette 30 June 1989 p. 3811
(16) Waste Disposal (Amendment) Act 1989 Schedule 1 (8)
(17) Waste Disposal (Further Amendment) Act, 1989. Schedule 1 (8) and (8A)
(18) Ibid. Schedule 1 8B- 8C
(19) Ibid. Schedule 1 8D
(20) Aynsley Kellow, 'The Environment' in Laffin, Martin & Painter, Martin Reform and Reversal: Lessons from the Coalition Government in New South Wales 1988-1995, MacMillan Education Australia, South Melbourne, 1995 page 267.
(21) Annual report of the Waste Management Authority for the year ended 30 June 1991 p. 11 (22) Annual Report of the Environment Protection Agency for the year ended 30 June 1992 page 8. (23) NSW Government Gazette 21 February 1992 p. 1043