Taking Out The Garbage Could Soon Cost You More

Labor wants to trash the government’s new bin tax when it goes through the Upper House this week.

Included in the LNP's Waste and Resource Recovery Bill, the bin tax means homeowners will be forking out an extra levy of $60 per tonne of waste collected by councils on their rates.

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With households already struggling, Labor MLC Josh Willie said this was just another tax on households amid rising costs of living

“Peter Gutwein promised no new taxes, and he’s silently taxing people’s bins. It’s not good enough,” Mr Willie said. 

“The cost of living is hurting families, the cost of petrol, the cost of groceries, and Peter Gutwein’s out of touch with that. He should delay this tax.”

- MP Willie

The Glenorchy MP said that within his own electorate, the first round of bin taxes will start at $20 per tonne of garbage, before rising to $60 annually, on top their food and organic waste green bins at $78 per year.

Meanwhile, Tasmania's environment minister Roger Jaensch said revenue from the bin tax would be used to improve the state's waste management system.

“The proposed Waste Levy will help divert waste from landfill and provide funds to invest in waste reduction and alternatives to landfill, including resource recovery and recycling,” Mr Jaensch said.

“Unlike all other states, which have had waste levies in place for years, Tasmania’s levy funds will be quarantined for waste management projects, not general revenue”

“The levy means less land and resources lost to landfill and, in the case of organic waste, the production of less greenhouse gases. A significant benefit for Tasmania’s environment as well as its economy,” the minister proposed.

If approved, the waste levy will kick in from July, and will be administered by local councils through increased rates.

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