Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011
LegislationReferenced in 9 bills
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Waste Levy) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill introduces a waste disposal levy in Queensland, starting at $70 per tonne from 4 March 2019, to discourage sending waste to landfill and boost recycling. The levy funds a $100 million Resource Recovery Industry Development Program and stops Queensland being used as a cheap dumping ground for interstate waste.
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Plastic Items) Amendment Bill 2020
This bill bans single-use plastic straws, stirrers, plates, bowls and cutlery in Queensland to reduce plastic pollution. Healthcare facilities, pharmacies and schools are exempt so people with disabilities and healthcare needs can still access these items. The ban can be expanded to additional plastic products by regulation after public consultation.
Transport Legislation (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2022
This bill makes a wide range of transport-related changes including broadening how speed and red-light camera fine revenue can be spent on road safety, expanding the types of motorised mobility devices legally allowed on paths, improving court processes for vehicle modification offences, and protecting health professionals who report medically unfit interstate drivers.
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Strengthening the Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Bill 2026
This bill overhauls the governance of Queensland's Container Refund Scheme — the 10-cent bottle and can return program — following a parliamentary inquiry that found significant weaknesses in how the scheme is run. It gives the government much stronger oversight of the scheme coordinator (currently Container Exchange), requires an independent board majority, and expands the scheme's purpose to include supporting environmental and community programs.
Waste Reduction and Recycling and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023
This bill modernises Queensland's waste laws by embedding the circular economy principle, banning outdoor balloon releases, removing the clean earth levy exemption, and requiring local councils to be transparent about how they spend waste levy payments. It was passed with amendment.
Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
This bill overhauls Queensland's environmental regulation across multiple domains. It introduces ERA codes as a simpler way to regulate lower-risk environmental activities, creates a single tourism permission for operators working across parks and forests, strengthens enforcement powers for environmental and koala habitat offences, and improves protections for bore owners affected by resource operations.
Medicines and Poisons Bill 2019
This bill replaces Queensland's 80-year-old medicines and poisons laws with a modern regulatory framework. It consolidates the Health Act 1937, Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996, and Pest Management Act 2001 into a single, outcomes-based system that is easier for health practitioners and businesses to follow while better protecting public safety.
Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Vaping) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill gives Queensland much stronger powers to crack down on the illegal sale of vaping products and illicit tobacco. It creates new offences for supplying, possessing, advertising and promoting vaping products, with penalties of up to 2,000 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. It also introduces powers to shut down non-compliant businesses and makes it a specific offence to litter vaping devices.
Environmental Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
This bill modernises Queensland's environmental protection laws by reforming the environmental impact statement process, strengthening enforcement powers against repeat offenders, creating temporary authorities for emergencies, and banning mining in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It also updates contaminated land management, waste regulation, and mine rehabilitation frameworks.