The rubbish-busting solution of a voluntary waste levy has resulted in the North leading the charge for recycling and composting.
Northern Tasmania Waste Management Group co-ordinator Michael Attard said there was evidence the levy worked.
"In 2019-20, 38 per cent of waste suitable for recycling or composting was diverted from landfill in North-West Tasmania," Mr Attard said.
"An increase of 11 per cent since 2016 aided in part by the growing range of recycling and resource recovery services available, and by financial disincentive that applies when large waste producers continue to send recoverable waste to landfill."
Northern local government landfills apply a levy of $7.50 per tonne respectively of waste disposed of.
Cradle Coast is the other region where local government landfills apply a levy set at $5.50.
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Mr Attard said that money is used entirely to fund waste-reducing equipment and services, such as tyre recycling subsidy, illegal dumping clean-ups and green waste mulching.
He said the user-pays model had advantages.
Doing the right thing by reducing waste to landfill is rewarded.
- Michael Attard
"You pay less and you benefit from receiving the waste-reduction services, education programs and facilities funded by those generating higher amounts of waste.
"It's an incentive to change the behaviour of the big waste generators and prevent reusable resources from being wasted in landfill."
In July next year, the state government plans to implement a statewide waste levy set initially at $20 per tonne that will rise to $60 per tone to the target average regional waste levy across Australia.
Mr Attard said Tasmania could dramatically cut its waste to landfill and resulting volume of methane gas produced by taking part in the federal government's modernisation fund.
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Molly Appleton
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
Molly Appleton is a senior journalist at The Examiner, having formerly worked at The Advocate as a news and sports reporter. She brings a passion for storytelling and knowledge of Tasmania across the three major regions. For any story ideas contact her on 0448 184 160.
