Waste incineration and thermal treatment
General information
Environmentally relevant activity (ERA) 61 (Waste incineration and thermal treatment) is defined under Schedule 2 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008 and may only be conducted under the terms of a development approval and registration certificate.
The definition of ERA 61 is paraphrased below together with the various activities that are encompassed by the ERA definition and the threshold at which these activities will require a development permit and registration certificate. The annual fee for an activity encompassed by ERA 61 is based on the aggregate environmental score (AES).
(1) Waste incineration and thermal treatment (the relevant activity) consists of operating a facility for incinerating or thermally treating waste.
(2) The relevant activity does not include—
(a) incinerating human or animal remains unless the remains are clinical or quarantine waste; or
(b) thermal treatment of waste carried out as part of another activity mentioned in this schedule.
Example—
thermally treating waste to generate electricity under section 14 (Electricity generation - ERA 14)
(3) In the following table, the aggregate environmental score, if any, for the relevant activity is the score stated opposite the threshold within which the relevant activity is carried out.
ERA threshold |
ERA description |
AES |
Administering authority |
|---|---|---|---|
ERA 61(1) |
Incinerating waste vegetation, clean paper or cardboard |
0 |
Local government |
ERA 61(2)(a) |
Incinerating or thermally treating, in a year, less than 5000t of general waste |
18 |
DERM |
ERA 61(2)(b) |
Incinerating or thermally treating, in a year, 5000t or more of general waste |
30 |
DERM |
ERA 61(3)(a) |
Incinerating or thermally treating clinical waste or quarantine waste |
51 |
DERM |
ERA 61(3)(b) |
Incinerating or thermally treating other regulated waste |
41 |
DERM |
Particular words or phrases
DERM is the Department of Environment and Resource Management.
facility, for incinerating vegetation, includes a fixed or mobile apparatus for blowing air into a hole in the ground to facilitate the incineration of the vegetation.
thermally treating, in relation to waste, means applying heat to the waste to render the waste less hazardous for disposal.
Examples—
using an autoclave facility or plasma arc
Guidelines and policies
Where local government is the administering authority you should contact the relevant local government for copies of any guidelines and policies you should refer to when preparing your application.
The information sheet Environmentally relevant activities devolved to local government - EM2101 (PDF, 62K)* lists circumstances when the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) is the administering authority for this ERA instead of local government.
If applying to DERM, you should refer to the information sheet Information to be provided with an application for a development approval (DA) for an environmentally relevant activity (ERA) - EM2150 (PDF, 101K)* when preparing your application.
Pre-design/pre-lodgement meeting service
DERM offers a pre-design/pre-lodgement meeting service for projects they are the administering authority for. This service enables an applicant to meet with relevant DERM officers to discuss all the information requirements to be provided with an application prior to its preparation and lodgement.
This service can be initiated by contacting Permit and Licence Management or by email at palm@derm.qld.gov.au or completing the form Application for a pre-design/pre-lodgement meeting - EM1125 (Word, 285K)‡.
Permits and approvals
A development permit and registration certificate are required to carry out this activity.
The development permit will contain conditions to ensure that industry is conducted in a way that minimises impacts on the environment.
The relevant local government must be contacted regarding any requirements to the lodgement and assessment of a development application. Generally, where development is assessable under a planning scheme, the local government will be the assessment manager and the administering authority will be a concurrence agency. The development permit application is made to the assessment manager who will issue an acknowledgement notice. A copy of the acknowledgement notice and application and the relevant fee must be provided to each concurrence agency.
For more information on the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Qld), the Integrated Development Assessment System and the process for obtaining a development permit, visit the Department of Local Government and Planning website.
Forms and fees
Where local government is the administering authority you should contact the relevant local government for details of the fees payable and the forms to be used when preparing your application.
The following information applies where DERM is the administering authority.
There are a number of activities encompassed by this ERA, each with its own threshold and AES. Different annual fees apply to each activity. These fees are based on the AES shown above. These fees are exempt from GST and a tax invoice will not be issued for these fees.
The application fees are listed in the information sheet Fees for permits for environmentally relevant activities (ERAs) - EM33 (PDF, 88K)*. The annual fees are listed in the information sheet Summary of annual fees for environmentally relevant activities (ERAs) - EM389 (PDF, 194K)*.
Application forms can be obtained online; contact Permit and Licence Management or email palm@derm.qld.gov.au for assistance.
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Last updated 20 January 2012