Used Oil Recycling
Environment Australia, 2002
ISBN 0 64254 902 8
ISSN 1446 6422
The Oil Stewardship Advisory Council (OSAC) provides advice to the Government on the general operation of the waste oil product stewardship arrangements and possible future directions. This chapter gives an overview of the Council and its activities during 2001-02.
Part 3 of the Product Stewardship (Oil) Act 2000 establishes OSAC. Members are drawn from a range of backgrounds so that the oil producing and recycling industries, State and local government, consumers and other non-government interests are appropriately represented and can contribute to formulating advice on the PSO to the Minister. The Environment and Heritage portfolio and the Commissioner of Taxation represent the Commonwealth.
The members and chair of OSAC were originally appointed on 15 February 2001 - the Chair for a period of 2 years, and members for 12 months. The members were reappointed on 20 March 2002. The membership of the Council is as follows:
| Member | Representing ..... |
|---|---|
| Mr Mike Williamson (Chair) | - |
| Mr Patrick Colmer | the Commissioner of Taxation |
| Mr Phillip Glyde | the Commonwealth |
| Mr Bryan Nye | national organisation representing oil producers |
| Mr Bob Pullinger (ORAA) | national organisation representing oil recyclers |
| Mr Fred Wren (IAORA) | national organisation representing oil recyclers |
| Mr Wayne Hart | the users of recycled oils |
| Mr Gary O'Connor | Environment Protection and Heritage Council |
| Cr Catherine Halliday | local government |
| Mr Mark Borlace | a national consumer organisation |
| Mr Paul Howlett | a national non-government organisation that has a substantial interest in sustainable industry |
| Mr Andrew Poole | additional member (oil producer/blender) |
| Mr Martin Kirwan | additional member (oil recycler) |
| Mr David Braham | additional member (oil recycler) |
| Mr Doug Hagen | additional member (oil recycler) |
| Mr Graham McGarry | additional member (oil recycler and user) |
The primary function of the Council is to provide a broad range of advice to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on the product stewardship mechanisms and their operation, the oil recycling and oil production industries and markets.
The Council held three meetings in 2001-02. The first was in Sydney on 12 September 2001, the second in Melbourne on 5 December 2001 and the third in Shepparton on 11 June 2002.
The first meeting was largely informative in nature. The implementation of the PSO was discussed; Environment Australia reported on the Transitional Assistance projects and a consultancy examining the potential of a tradeable certificates scheme to improve waste oil management in Australia. Representatives of Meinhardt Consulting discussed proposed methodology for determining the amount of 'missing waste oil' in Australia.
At the second meeting Environment Australia reported it would write to rural councils to invite them to apply for grants to construct or upgrade waste oil collection facilities. Environment Australia also reported on the Packaging Covenant and the Australian Institute of Petroleum provided information about the oil production industry's work under the Covenant, which may lead to the establishment of a collection and recycling scheme for approximately 3,000 tonnes of used plastic oil containers.
The third meeting, which was held in rural Victoria, was attended by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr Sharman Stone. The Australian Taxation Office reported on the ongoing implementation of the PSO. Environment Australia reported on the administration of Transitional Assistance grant rounds, including the second round call for expressions of interest and the Local Government Waste Oil Collection Infrastructure Small Grants Program. Environment Australia also reported on a proposed waste oil communication strategy. Two presentations were made on oil container recycling, one from the Australian Institute of Petroleum and the other from a Victorian firm named Delynda Pty Ltd which had won a Transitional Assistance grant to conduct a study on this matter.
The Council applied its considerable collective knowledge and experience to consider all of the matters brought before it and provide useful advice to Environment Australia and the Minister on the implementation of the PSO.