Recycling facilities certification open for comment

GECA, in partnership with the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), has released a draft Australian Recycling Facilities Standard (ARFS) for public consultation.

The draft standard sets out a framework for assessing recycling facilities on a site-by-site basis, recognising that activities can vary across operations and locations.

It is designed to support best practice in environmental management, material quality, health and safety, and operational performance.

The ARFS will underpin an independent certification program, helping governments, businesses and the community identify high-performing recycling facilities and make more informed procurement and investment decisions.

The standard aims to strengthen confidence in Australia’s recycling sector by clearly defining what good practice looks like and enabling independent verification of facility performance.

ACOR CEO Suzanne Toumbourou said the release of the draft standard is an important milestone.

“This is about building trust in Australian recycling,” Toumbourou said. “Our sector achieves some incredible outcomes, remaking recovered resources into products and materials for new markets. We need to support good operators by drawing a clearer line between genuine recycling and other activities across the sector. This standard provides a practical way to do that by recognising best practice across recycling facilities.”

Developed in partnership with ACOR, the standard will be administered by GECA under its independent, ISO 14024-compliant certification framework.

“Public consultation is a critical step in GECA’s standards development process,” said GECA CEO Josh Begbie. “We want to hear from operators, governments, industry and the community to ensure the standard is robust, practical and delivers real impact.”

The public consultation period is now open, with submissions closing on 19 May 2026.

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