The National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations Limited (Charitable Recycling Australia) on behalf of current and future member charities has lodged a collective bargaining notification to engage in a joint tender for the collection and disposal of waste and commingled recycling from retail stores or warehouses managed by member charities in NSW. The current members of Charitable Recycling Australia include Anglicare, Lifeline Direct, Lifeline Macarthur, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, St Vincent de Paul Society ACT, Save the Children, Ted Noffs Foundation and the Salvation Army.
There are 265 charity sites across NSW which the proposed joint tender will cover. Under the proposed joint tender the charities will seek to acquire the collection and disposal of general waste and commingled recycling under a weight based billing system. This type of billing will allow charities in NSW to apply for the charitable levy exemptions contained in the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 which is administered by the Environmental Protection Authority of NSW.
On 15 April 2021 the ACCC did not to object to the notification and decided to allow it to stand for 6 years. The legal protection provided by the notification commenced on 12 February 2021 and it will remain in force until 28 January 2027, unless it is withdrawn or revoked. Further information about the ACCC’s decision is available in the Statement of Reasons below.