Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (16:52): My contribution to debate on the Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment (FOGO Recycling) Bill 2024 will be brief. At the outset I thank the Minister; my colleague the member for Blue Mountains, and Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment; and everyone who has been involved in this important legislation. Legislation that commonly comes before the House does not really get the required consideration, but that does not reduce the importance of the laws that will change as a consequence of that legislation. The intent of this bill is to reduce waste going to landfill by introducing amendments to the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, otherwise known as the POEO Act, to mandate the collection of source-separated food organic and garden organic [FOGO] waste from households and businesses, including various institutions and facilities. The bill also will mandate the reporting of large supermarket food donations to take pressure off landfill.
The Mayor of Campbelltown, who is present in the Chamber, Lindy, the council's CEO, and Kate, a director, and I are very aware that managing waste from local government areas is a continuing and costly challenge that currently is not adequately supported by legislation, but this bill is a positive step in that direction. I acknowledge the presence in the Chamber of my colleagues from regional New South Wales and note that waste management and recycling is an issue in the areas they represent. I also acknowledge the member for Albury, who would know about that as well. I draw on experience from Greater Sydney because I represent a local area in Greater Sydney and I know that we are running out of ways in which to safely manage residual red bin waste. I also know that Greater Sydney is predicted to run out of landfill capacity by 2030 or earlier, which is likely to exacerbate cost-of-living pressures for households and delay the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. I emphasise that by 2030 the capacity of landfills servicing households in Greater Sydney will fall short by an estimated 1.1 million tonnes each year.
When I consider other areas of New South Wales, I believe that one of the State's greatest challenges followed the horrific bushfires that occurred in 2019 and 2020. At that stage, as the shadow Minister for Local Government, I visited affected local communities in New South Wales and met the Mayor of Moruya. Basically the local council had allocated all of its ratepayers' money to build a new waste facility, but after those devastating fires that facility was full of waste. My colleague, and friend, the member for South Coast will confirm that flooding occurred soon after those fires, which further devastated those communities and created more waste. The facility that the local council would normally use for day-to-day operations and weekly bin collections was filled with waste from those natural disasters. I acknowledge that those communities are still recovering, both socially and economically.
I cite that example to show that we not only have an enormous shortfall in Greater Sydney but it is right across New South Wales. Waste management is a challenge that confronts every community. It is a particularly prominent problem when we consider the reduced availability of land east of the Great Dividing Range compared to areas west of the range. However, that does not reduce the challenges that we all face. An analysis of the proposed household mandates found that application of the mandates to all households in New South Wales may result in the diversion of almost 950,000 tonnes of FOGO waste each year from landfill.
The bill will amend the POEO Act to mandate the collection of source-separated food waste by various businesses. The mandate will apply to large supermarkets, various institutions and facilities, and hospitality businesses that prepare or provide food and beverages, or that provide seating for consumption of food or drink obtained at the premises. The mandate for businesses will be implemented by a phased approach depending on the residual waste bin capacity of those businesses. Those with a larger capacity will need to comply from 1 July 2026. The bill also includes amendments to require local councils to separately collect and transport source‑separated FOGO waste from households from 1 July 2030 for all residential dwellings. Many councils in my electorate already do that, but for some other councils this requirement will assist in achieving consistency. I commend the local government sector for adopting a front‑foot approach by separating green waste from household waste.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber.
Mr Richie Williamson: It was not me.
Mr Paul Toole: It was not me, either.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Sonia Hornery): I think the members have named themselves.
Mr Richie Williamson: My apologies.
Mr GREG WARREN: It is no surprise from that unruly mob on the other side, of course. To conclude, it is a major issue and this a good piece of legislation. I commend the Ministers and my Parliamentary Secretary colleagues. It is a positive step in the right direction but we know that there is always more work to do. That is the benefit of having a progressive Government that continues to review legislation, make amendments where required—whether it be on environmental preservation or environmental waste recycling or to the State's economy, health system or education system. I am proud to be a member of this Government. I am proud of our Ministers, who work progressively for legislative reform for a better New South Wales. I thank the House.
