Fees that could have cost waste exporters hundreds of thousands of dollars to send paper and cardboard overseas for recycling are set to be scrapped in a joint move between the Greens and the Coalition.

The parties plan to eliminate fees that cost exporters about $13,500 each time they change a contract, which industry sources say can rise up to four times a day if destinations, recyclable volumes and transport ships are changing – although the government has maintained it will. only apply to substantial changes, such as exported waste.

The ministry also informed the industry in May that charges would be triggered in some cases, but in others, such as a change of waste supplier, they would not incur charges.

The move would deal another blow in the Senate against Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who has so far failed to gain support for her proposed environmental laws.

The motion to disallow is expected to be debated this evening.

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the decision by the Greens and the Coalition followed failed attempts by the industry to negotiate with the government.

“These regulations have been unanimously rejected by the resource recovery and recycling sector, and supported by no one except Labor. Recyclers have repeatedly attempted to engage with the government to try to resolve the problems, without success,” the senator said.

“The rejection of these regulations is a problem the government itself is responsible for. The Greens have for months been calling on the government to meet with the resource recovery sector to resolve the issues surrounding the export licensing changes contained in these regulations. That didn’t happen.”

Motion comes after urging Plibersek to meet with industry

A waste sector investigation has heard from industry that the variation fee, dubbed a ‘recycling tax’, would threaten to send more recyclables to landfill as it would cost less than sending them to the foreign for processing, and state regulations prevent their disposal in landfills. put in storage.

Gayle Sloan, boss of the waste management and resource recovery group, told the inquiry the charges were unfair because they only applied to products exported for recycling and did not apply to materials virgins, which disadvantaged the sector.

The sector has criticized a lack of communication from the Environment Ministry on how the fees will or will not apply to them.

The industry is largely supportive of the fees companies must pay to register to export, which were introduced when the regulations came into force in October.

But they say the prices for changing contracts are not only prohibitive, but the process can take up to six months – when they are often negotiated at short notice.

In a letter to the Environment Minister and seen by the ABC, waste inquiry chair Peter Whish-Wilson noted that the export rules were before the Senate and that he and Nationals Senator Ross Cadell had decided to disapprove of these rules.

Senator Green said the wider industry had raised concerns about the potential unintended consequences of the waste export rules, which could make some businesses unviable and impact recycling efforts.

He urged the minister to meet with waste and recycling groups, saying “the lack of transparency regarding departmental, or other, costs covered by these variation fees also undermines confidence in the government’s stated aims to work collaboratively to reduce waste and increase. domestic recycling”.

A waste export “ban” was introduced by the Morrison government with the agreement of states and territories after China stopped accepting foreign waste and recyclables as part of its “free shipping” policy. national sword.

Export regulations limit what can be sent overseas for recycling and require prior approvals or exemptions to do so. But a lack of domestic infrastructure and local demand for recycled products has forced Australia to continue processing some recycled products overseas.

In May, the government agreed to abandon plans for an export levy on the industry – but the variation fee was retained.