The Victorian Environment Protection Authority (EPA Victoria) has released draft Guidance for Minimising Pollution and Waste Risks in a Changing Climate and is seeking feedback from businesses and local governments before 3 December 2025.
The draft guidance aims to help organisations understand and manage how climate change hazards, such as floods, heatwaves, droughts, bushfires and sea-level rise, can increase pollution and waste risks. These hazards can damage infrastructure, disrupt containment systems and lead to harmful emissions or contamination.
The guidance is designed for organisations undertaking medium- to high-risk activities, including:
- Storage and handling of liquids, solids or chemicals outdoors;
- Treatment and storage of waste or wastewater;
- Operations in climate-vulnerable areas such as floodplains, coastal zones and bushfire-prone regions; and
- Activities where damage to structures or equipment could result in the release of pollutants.
The EPA’s draft guidance provides a framework to:
- Incorporate physical climate risks into existing risk management systems;
- Link climate-related impacts with pollution and waste hazards;
- Identify and assess pollution and waste risks under changing climate conditions; and
- Apply controls consistent with the general environmental duty under Victoria’s environment protection legislation.
The document also includes an appendix for low-risk activities and draws on the latest Victorian climate science. It does not introduce new legal obligations but aims to assist businesses and councils to comply with existing duties and strengthen environmental resilience.
A webinar will be held on Thursday 6 November to outline the draft guidance and answer questions. Submissions can be made through the Engage Victoria website until 3 December 2025.
Further details, including the draft guidance, webinar registration and submission portal, are available on the Engage Victoria website.
