The WMRR Board held its fourth meeting for the year – and my first as National President – on Tuesday 26 August 2025, with the meeting hosted at the WMRR National Office in Sydney ahead of the 2025 Australian Landfill and Transfer Stations Conference (ALTS).
It is pleasing to be starting the financial year (and my term as President) with the association in a very strong position both financially and with strong membership numbers ensuring financial stability to meaningfully reinvest in advocacy and member services. I saw this first hand at the Energy from Waste (EfW) Conference on the Gold Coast, and again this month at the Australian Landfill and Transfer Station (ALTS) Conference, which attracted over 265 delegates and exceeded exhibition targets. WMRR’s membership continues to rise, now at 2,338 members –being a clear reflection of the industry’s confidence in WMRR’s leadership and the valued contribution of my predecessor, Mr Geoffrey Webster and CEO, Gayle Sloan.
More pleasing is the continued focus of the Board on delivering increased value for our members. Key WMRR projects underway include: an upcoming website and CRM upgrade to deliver a smoother, more reliable experience for members including easier renewals and improved access to resources; a brand refresh to ensure WMRR’s voice and presence continue to reflect the professionalism and strength of our members, and a landmark “State of the Nation” report to provide members, governments, and stakeholders with credible WARR industry metrics. The Board noted the importance of these initiatives for strengthening WMRR’s advocacy, credibility, and member value. Updates will be provided at the next Board meeting in October.
The July and August period has continued to see high levels of both state and federal government engagement. Whilst the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act has now been formalised as Minister Watt’s priority, WMRR continues to place pressure on the federal government to move on packaging regulation, mandatory product stewardship and address waste export rules to better support resource recovery systems.
The association’s efforts are also being directed to leveraging our strong relationships with state regulators and ministers, working to achieve national alignment where possible via the Heads of EPA and Ministers Meetings wherever possible. PFAS continues to somewhat dominate the agenda, with WMRR pressing for national alignment on safe, ‘acceptable’ levels in outputs and inputs, and seeking iChEMS clarification regarding the receipt of PFAS containing materials at WARR facilities. We understand that the NSW battery draft regulations are due for public exhibition shortly, with the hope that other states will align (with strong indications that Victoria and South Australia will), which will have a profound impact on our sector and pave the way for other state based mandatory schemes. We also welcome the proposal to develop a national mandatory scheme on solar panels, modelled on the current NSW Act, with NSW and Federal government now collaborating on developing a regulatory impact statement (RIS) for a national scheme.
Looking ahead, the last few months of the year will see the delivery of further WMRR events including the NSW Women of WARR Leadership Breakfast, one-day state-based forums and of course, our end of year events. I hope to meet as many of you as possible at these events and thank you in person for your support and contribution to our dynamic sector.