E-waste to landfill ban in WA

The current regulated e-waste categories are described in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. Categories and items include but are not limited to:

• screens, information technology and telecommunications equipment
• lighting and lamps e.g. tube fluorescent lamps, LED products, household ceiling or desk light globes
• large appliances used in home, office or professional environment e.g. dishwasher, washing machines and dryers, ovens, rangehoods, large dispensers such as ticket vending machines; and
• all batteries, unless the battery is part of a device and the device is not designed to enable the removal of the battery by a user 
• batteries – all batteries except embedded batteries
• temperature exchange equipment e.g. air conditioners and white goods such as freezers
• medical devices (large) that would not, because of their shape or size, fit into a container measuring 50 cm x 50 cm x 50 cm.

Please see Schedule 1 of the Regulations for the full list.

See Fact sheet: E-waste ban – Overview for more information. 

The initial phase of the ban does not include solar panels/photovoltaics, small household appliances like toasters, children's toys, electric toothbrushes or e-cigarettes (also known as vapes). 

The definitions of entities with specific responsibilities under the Regulations sometimes overlap and sometimes they one may fall into multiple defined categories.

A significant entity means a business entity or a public entity, that in any financial year:

1. has 200* or more full-time equivalent employees at the beginning of the financial year; or
2. created, during the immediately preceding financial year, five or more tonnes of regulated e-waste.

* The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies large businesses as those that employ 200 or more full-time equivalent employees.

More information is available in our fact sheets:

• E-waste ban – Significant entity overview
• E-waste ban – Estimating the weight of e-waste

An e-waste service provider means a person who conducts a business or undertaking that includes the collection or receipt of regulated e-waste for storage, management, aggregation, treatment, processing, sorting, recycling, transfer or disposal. 

More information is available in our fact sheets:

• E-waste ban – Service provider overview
• E‑waste ban – Reporting requirements of e‑waste service providers
• E-waste ban – Estimating the weight of e-waste

See also:

• E-waste ban – Significant entity recordkeeping form

We, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, will administer more than $10 million in grant funding from 2023 through a series of competitive grant rounds.

The grants program supports the ban by funding increased e-waste collection, storage and/or reuse including e-waste processing/recycling.

Phase 1 Regulations started on 1 July 2024, banning the disposal of regulated e-waste items to landfill.

We took an education-focused approach as part of the introduction of the regulations. We now expect businesses and public entities to demonstrate reasonable efforts to comply with the ban.

We will take action in accordance with our Compliance and enforcement policy and the EP Act where there is evidence of activity that may cause harm to the environment or human health.

If you suspect regulated e-waste is being unlawfully managed or disposed of, please report it via our Environment WAtch service online, by phone on 1300 784 782 (24 hours) or by email to environmentwatch@dwer.wa.gov.au.

The Regulations for the e-waste to landfill ban refer to Australian Standard AS 5377:2022 Management of electrical and electronic equipment for re-use or recycling (AS 5377:2022). This provides guidance and assurance to individuals and businesses on what constitutes 'reasonable' conduct for the collection and storage, transport, preparation for re-use and treatment of e-waste.

AS 5377:2022 is copyright to Standards Australia and, accordingly, extracts cannot be copied, emailed or photocopied. However, they may be:

• discussed with a relevant officer in person or on the telephone
• viewed free of charge at our head office at 8 Davidson Terrace, Joondalup, between 8.30am and 5.00pm on weekdays.

Because of copyright, we may not:

• email quotes of text taken from AS 5377:2022
• permit photocopying or photos to be taken on a mobile phone.

Should you require a copy of the standard please contact Standards Australia. 

An application for an exemption from a requirement imposed on an applicant under the Regulations can be made by an e-waste service provider (EWSP), a landfill operator or a significant entity operating within Western Australia.

Regulation 16(4) sets out the circumstances on which the CEO of the department may grant an exemption to an individual entity:

They are:

1. events or circumstances beyond the control of the entity have rendered regulated e-waste unsuitable for resource recovery; or
2. it is unreasonable to expect the entity to comply with the requirement because regulated e-waste is in a remote location and waste management infrastructure is not available within a reasonable distance of the entity. 

Regulation 16(5) sets out the circumstances for granting a class exemption. The CEO of the department may grant an exemption to a class of entities under r.16(1)(d) if satisfied that:

1. events or circumstances beyond the control of the entities in the class have rendered regulated e-waste unsuitable for resource recovery, or 
2. the management, aggregation, treatment, processing, sorting, recycling, transfer or disposal of regulated e-waste impracticable

Class exemptions may be granted on the CEO’s own initiative or on application (r.16(3)). The CEO may grant a class exemption in relation to all requirements of the Regulations, or in relation to specified regulated e-waste, a specified location, or a specified activity (r.16(2)).

For example, a cyclone in the northwest of Western Australia has affected large parts of the region and waste infrastructure and roads have been badly damaged. E-waste cannot be stored or transported for recovery for the foreseeable future.  In this instance, class exemption for an agreed duration for landfill operators, EWSP and significant entities within the affected region could be initiated.

Applications for exemption can be made by completing and submitting an online form via SmartyGrants. Applicants must also submit a declaration and signature form.

Refer to the Guideline: E-waste exemptions for more information about how to apply.

If you have any queries, please email ewaste@dwer.wa.gov.au

Shire of Christmas Island
Greatland Pty Ltd
Shire of Ashburton

Visit the E-waste to landfill ban document collection to view all fact sheets, forms and guidelines relating to the e-waste to landfill ban, including those referred to in the sections above.

See our frequently asked questions page for answers to common questions about the e-waste to landfill ban in WA.

The first consultation period began in January 2023, through which industry and the community were encouraged to provide feedback to the WA Government. This consultation period closed on 31 March 2023.

View the following documents:

• Consultation summary report
• Consultation submissions
• Decision regulatory impact statement
• Cost benefit analysis of options for an e-waste landfill ban in WA

A second consultation period ran from September to November 2023, seeking public comment on the consultation draft of the Waste Avoidance and Resource (e-waste) Regulations 2023. An information paper was provided for guidance.

View the following documents:

• Consultation submissions and summary report
• Redacted submissions report
• Implementation plan, updated May 2024

The third consultation period commenced on 8 April 2026, inviting external stakeholders and industry representatives to provide feedback to the WA Government on the Amendment Regulations. The consultation was open for two weeks and closed on 22 April 2026. Consultation summary documents will be made available on this web page shortly.