There is exactly one government levy on Victorian commercial waste: the landfill levy, $177.19 per tonne in metropolitan Melbourne from 1 July 2026 (EPA Victoria), charged to the landfill operator and passed through to you. Everything else labelled “environmental”, “EPA”, “carbon” or “sustainability” on an invoice is a provider fee. Some are published and fixed, such as JJ's Waste & Recycling's environmental management charge of $19.72 per waste stream per service in Victoria; some are unexplained percentages. This page gives you the arithmetic to tell which is which.
The real levy, per lift
The levy is charged by weight, so the honest pass-through on a bin depends on what the bin weighs. Mixed commercial waste in an 1100L bin typically weighs 150–250 kg (Bundle Waste's audits of weighed lifts). At $177.19 per tonne that is:
| Bin, general waste, per lift | Levy pass-through at $177.19 per tonne |
|---|---|
| 240L (roughly 30–60 kg) | $5–$11 |
| 660L (roughly 90–150 kg) | $16–$27 |
| 1100L (roughly 150–250 kg) | $27–$44 |
| 3 m³ front-lift (roughly 400–650 kg) | $71–$115 |
Recycling, organics and other diverted streams carry no landfill levy at all, because nothing is landfilled. A levy line on a recycling lift is padding by definition.
Provider fees that borrow the name
| Fee | Published amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| JJ's Waste & Recycling environmental management charge (VIC) | $19.72 per waste stream, per service | Published, fixed; charged on every stream including recycling |
| Cleanaway Waste Plus / Waste Tracker fees | Referenced on the fees page; calculations in linked documents | Ask for the calculation sheet |
| Percentage 'environmental levy' or 'EPA levy' | Often 5–15% of the invoice | Not a government charge; the levy is per tonne, never a percentage |
The two tests
- Is it per tonne or per lift, with a weight behind it? The government levy is. If the line is a percentage of the invoice or a flat amount per stream on recycling bins, it is a provider fee, whatever it is called.
- Does it exceed the table above? An “EPA levy” of $60 on a weekly 660L general-waste lift is roughly three times the maximum the levy could be. The difference is margin.
What to do
Ask the provider to state which lines are government levies and which are its own fees, in writing. Then ask for weights: modern trucks weigh lifts, and a provider charging levy by weight can show you the weights. Providers that cannot usually agree to an all-in rate instead. The levy page has the rates by category; the hidden fees guide the rest of the invoice.
Step one is a free waste audit: Bundle Waste benchmarks your last three invoices against the ranges above and against 50+ Melbourne providers, then negotiates. No saving, no fee. Start the audit.
Sources
- EPA Victoria, Waste levy rates 2026-27
- JJ's Waste & Recycling, Fees & charges (effective 1 July 2026)
- Cleanaway, Fees and charges
Frequently asked questions
What is the EPA levy on my waste bill?
How much landfill levy should an 1100L bin carry per lift?
Does the landfill levy apply to recycling bins?
Is JJ's environmental management charge a government levy?
How do I check whether an environmental fee is padding?
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