The Tasmanian Government introduced a landfill levy on 1 July 2022 as a long-term approach to improving waste management and resource recovery in Tasmania. The levy is charged on all waste sent to landfill in Tasmania.
The landfill levy aims to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by diverting materials that can be reused, repaired, recycled or made into new materials. The levy is not charged on materials that are reused, recycled or diverted to approved organics facilities.
Reinvestment of the Levy
In Tasmania, 100 per cent of the landfill levy is legislated to be held in a dedicated account and reinvested in projects and initiatives that support waste and resource recovery. The revenue is targeted at improving waste management, delivering clear benefits for the community and the environment.
The Tasmanian Waste and Resource Recovery Board oversees the reinvestment of funds raised by the levy into businesses and communities. In addition, a number of Industry Support Programs are funded by the levy and managed by the Board.
Funds are also used to educate Tasmanians about reducing waste, working with the community to encourage recycling, reuse and repair, and support programs that tackle littering and illegal dumping.
The landfill levy revenue has already supported projects across the state, including:
- Resource recovery and recycling infrastructure upgrades across regional councils
- Organics processing and food waste recovery systems
- Circular economy innovation, including plastics, tyres, glass and construction materials
- Hazardous and problem waste solutions (e.g. chemicals, oils, emerging waste streams)
- Commercial-scale pilots and new market development for recovered materials
More information about how the landfill levy funds are being reinvested to make Tasmania a place where nothing is wasted can be found on the Waste and Resource Recovery Board website.
Landfill Levy Rate
Under the Waste and Resource Recovery Act 2022 (the Act), the landfill levy rate is expressed in Government Fee Units.
The Waste and Resource Recovery Regulations 2022 (the Regulations) specified a series of staged increases over the first four years of the landfill levy. This staggered introduction was designed to give councils, businesses and the community time to plan and adapt, including by reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill.
The staged schedule was:
- 12 fee units per tonne from 1 July 2022
- 24 fee units per tonne from 1 July 2024
- 36 fee units per tonne from 1 July 2026 (full rate).
Fee units are adjusted from year to year by Treasury. The process for setting fee units is explained on the Department of Treasury and Finance website.
2026-27 Landfill Levy Rate
From 1 July 2026, the levy will be collected at its full value of 36 fee units. This is the final step in the staged schedule set when the levy was introduced.
The fee unit value for the 2026–27 financial year is $1.96.
Based on this, the landfill levy is expected to be $70.56 per tonne.
Tasmania’s landfill levy remains the lowest in Australia. This brings Tasmania into line with the approach taken by most other Australian jurisdictions and ensures sufficient funding to improve waste and resource recovery infrastructure statewide.
The increase will return more funding to Tasmania, supporting local jobs, projects and businesses that expand reuse, repair, recycling and recovery options and drive the transition to a circular economy.
Read the landfill levy FAQs.