Market News

October 2021 Update

There is continued volatility in the recycling industry with regulatory and legislative changes as well as short-term market improvements. There has however been an improvement in paper and cardboard prices for certain recycled products.

From 1 July 2021, the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) waste export bans came into effect, with the first key policy change being a ban on the export of mixed plastics. Mixed plastics can now only be sold to domestic offtakers of the product which has driven an increase in demand in this area.

With a lot of grant funding allocated and more to come, we know there is new infrastructure in the pipeline, and we expect offtake opportunities will improve one that is delivered.

Re.Group are actively exploring all available options to find the absolute best outcomes for our clients.

July 2021 Update

It’s been a busy time in the waste and resource recovery market, with several key policies and announcements released in the last six months.

New rules for waste plastic exports were approved 25 May, ahead of the phase one ban on the export of waste plastic due 1 July. The Queensland waste levy rate will increase by $5 per tonne in the new financial year. The NSW EPA has also released an updated EfW Policy Statement, along with summary of consultation outcomes and responses.

The NSW EPA also announced changes to the waste levy rates for 2021-22, in line with CPI. The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) data for 2019-2020 was released, as well as the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s National Waste Report 2020.