Waste and Recycling Association for Queensland

The Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association (WCRA) has been formed in Queensland.

Paul Haslam of Veolia Environmental Services, the association's president, said: "The objective of establishing the organisation is for it to work now and into the future with regulators and policy developers at state and local government levels, as well as with other key industry groups, companies and individuals, on matters essential to the provision of waste and secondary resource recovery services in Queensland."

The state's growth, its lack of proper infrastructure planning and investment relating to waste management and secondary resource recovery, as well as other expansive population and community factors are increasingly impacting on the daily operations of removing, transporting and disposing of wastes across Queensland. It is the view held by the WCRA that a more coordinated and structured method of managing the concerns of the waste and recycling industry is now essential in order to sustainably grow the sector and meet the community expectations of managing waste and recyclables in this rapidly expanding environment.

The association has appointed Rick Ralph its executive director to act on the members' behalf and represent it on a day-to-day basis. "Rick has more than 26 years' experience in Australia and internationally with the waste and recycling business, both in private industry and local government, and has the knowledge of our industry and expertise to lead the association in this new role," said Haslam.

The industry has identified that one of its key roles, apart from the regulatory and policy matters it wishes to address, is in the communication to and education of the community of our capability. Generally, most people tend to not give a second thought to what happens to their refuse and recyclables once they put it into their bins.

Haslam stated that "our intention in establishing this association is to combine our resources and bring a collective and united approach to the issues of the industry. We can constructively and proactively help shape the future direction of waste management and recycling in Queensland by engaging all stakeholders in the process."