Report slams Daniel Andrews’ recycling incompetence

The interim report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Victoria’s waste crisis has delivered a damning verdict on Labor’s failure to manage the waste and recycling industry.

The report reveals a complete failure of the regulatory system, with Emergency Services personnel put at risk because of inadequate monitoring of chemical waste storage and Labor’s abject failure to prevent dangerous stockpiling at legally operating waste facilities.

The Committee raised concerns about  “… a lax system of enforcement and penalties regarding chemical waste storage. Without proactive enforcement and monitoring…legal and illegal operators worked with an assumption that they were not likely to be caught or fined for poor storage and fire risk prevention behaviour.”

The report also revealed:

• Inadequate communication about public health risks
• Concerns about the response to reported pollution events
• The lack of a coordinated response to fire safety in the waste and recycling industry

In February this year more than 22,000 tonnes of recyclable materials were sent to landfill because Daniel Andrews and Labor have failed to manage the waste system adequately.

It is now a month since the latest shutdown, with more than 4000 tonnes of recyclables currently going to landfill each week.

It is likely that more than 40,000 tonnes of recyclables will be sent to landfill as a result of the latest crisis.

The report shines a light on Labor’s failure to manage a safe and effective waste and recycling system and yet again it is the environment and the community that pays the price.

Daniel Andrews latest band-aid measures will not solve Labor’s recycling crisis. It’s time for Labor to stop dithering and start fixing.

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