[no bill text published] NSW Licensing Requirements for Premises Receiving and Processing Over 100 Tonnes of E-Waste Per Year

Protection of the Environment Operations Amendment (e-Waste) Bill 2025

Opposition Bill

18 Sep 2025: This bill was voted against and will not be discussed further (Defeated).

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

Share this bill

Email Facebook X Bluesky

Topics

e-waste electronic waste environmental protection waste recycling

Introduced by: Gareth Ward (LIB)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Official page: bill text and explanatory notes

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

E-waste is defined as waste with a cord, battery or switch; this includes any components of those items.
Premises that receive and process more than 100 tonnes of e-waste per year must now hold a licence.
Licence holders must recycle the e-waste and its components.

News articles and press releases

Protection of the Environment Operations Amendment (e-Waste) Bill 2025

Mr GARETH WARD, Member for Kiama — 2025-03-28

Australia’s contribution to that global e-waste stream is particularly concerning. While the world grapples with this issue, we generate more than double the global average of e-waste per capita. In 2022 alone, across the world, we collectively buried $62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources within this e-waste. This is not just waste; it is a wasted opportunity. It is a crisis demanding our immediate action. It is a challenge for each State, including New South Wales. Today, I seek to do something about this challenge by introducing watershed legislation. The bill is designed to confront the challenge head-on. The bill proposes to amend the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 to prevent e‑waste from being sent to landfill and to mandate e-waste recycling, fundamentally transforming our approach to electronic waste management in New South Wales.