Licence renewals

 

We regulate licence renewals under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 (the Act) for the export of waste glass, plastic, tyres, and paper and cardboard. See:

What is a licence renewal?

Licences can be granted for up to 3 years.

To keep exporting after the licence expiry date, you must apply to renew your licence. You can check your licence for the expiry date.

We cannot renew:

  • licences that expire on the occurrence of a specified event
  • licences that are currently suspended
  • licences that have been revoked
  • instruments of exemption.

Once you have applied to renew your licence you can continue to export what is approved on your current licence.

If you would like to change your licence you must apply for a licence variation.

When to apply for a licence renewal

You must apply to renew your licence before the licence expires. You must apply within a certain timeframe. We cannot accept renewal applications submitted outside these timeframes, instead you must apply for a new licence.

For glass, plastic, and tyre licences you must submit your application at least 30 days before your licence expiry date. If you apply within the required timeframe, you can continue to export until a decision is made on the renewal application.

For paper and cardboard licences, you must submit your application at least:

  • 90 days before the expiry date, if the date is before 1 July 2026; or
  • 30 days before the expiry date of the licence, if the date is on or after 1 July 2026.

You can continue to export until a decision is made on your renewal application if you applied within the required timeframe.

Before you apply for a licence renewal

Before you apply for a licence renewal, you will need to:

How to apply for a licence renewal

You must provide all the information and documents required by the application form. These will allow the Minister or a delegate of the Minister to decide whether to grant you a licence renewal.

If you provide false or misleading information in relation to a licence application, you may be liable to a civil penalty or commit a criminal offence.

Waste glass, plastic, and tyre licences

To renew a licence to export glass, plastics and/or tyres, you must submit your renewal application and all supporting documentation through the Waste Export Licensing and Declaration (WELD) portal.

Your licence may relate to multiple regulated waste materials. If you wish to continue exporting the same materials, you only need to make one renewal application.

Waste paper and cardboard licence

To renew a licence to export waste paper and cardboard, you must complete and submit a renewal application form and supporting documentation to exportwaste@nationalepa.gov.au.

Note: Do not submit proof of identification or fit and proper person (FPP) documents with your application via email. These will be requested via WELD after you have submitted your application.

Licence renewal application - Paper and cardboard (PDF 335 KB)
Licence renewal application - Paper and cardboard (DOCX 141 KB)

If you need help accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

After you apply for a licence renewal

Once your application is reviewed for completeness, you will receive an acknowledgement email in your WELD account. If your application is incomplete and you have not provided all the required information, you will be contacted and asked to resubmit your application.

We will assess your application. We may consider information you have already provided.

You must let us know, as soon as possible, if any information or documents in your renewal application are incomplete or incorrect. You can contact us via ‘My messages’ from your WELD portal account. You cannot make changes to a renewal application through the WELD portal.

We may contact you for more information or documents. Please respond to these requests within 30 days.

We will contact you when a decision has been made.

If your application is approved, we will grant you a new licence. If your renewal application is refused we will tell you why. If you do not agree with the decision, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed.

Contact us

WELD portal: if you have a WELD portal account, contact us via ‘My messages’.

Email: exportwaste@nationalepa.gov.au

Phone: 1800 976 422

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

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