Exempt waste

Welcome to the quick reference video on How to submit an exemption application in the Queensland Waste Data System, or QWDS for short.

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to submit your exemption application.

If you’re new to exemption application submissions and exemption approvals, we recommend using the Submitting and Managing Exemption Applications and Approved Exemptions user guide which contains more detailed steps. This user guide can be found on the Department’s website by searching for ‘QWDS Training Materials.’

Now let’s begin on the QWDS Home Page.

Under the Actions section on the left side of your screen, select Apply for a New Approval to display the QWDS Application screen.

The Getting Started screen automatically displays your role, either a Waste Operator or Exemption Applicant.

Click the Select Application Type dropdown menu and choose the type of application you wish to submit. For this example, we will choose Contaminated earth.

Once selected, new information displays on the screen relating to your selection. including the application description and fee.

You have the option to Cancel your application if you do not wish to progress, however, in this case we will click Next.

In the Site Details screen, your Application Reference number (<insert application reference>) is created once you reach the Site Details screen.

Click the Select Site Detail dropdown menu to select the waste disposal sites related to your application.

You can choose one or more sites by clicking each option and, once you’ve completed your selection, click outside the dropdown menu to see the list of sites under Selected Sites. ACME Landfill has been chosen in this example.

You also have the option to Save and Close if you wish to return and complete this application later or Withdraw Application to remove your application completely.

However, we will click Next to continue.

In the Contact Details screen, select who will be contacted about this application using the dropdown menu.

You can only choose one option which will display once selected, and we’ve selected Joe Citizen in this example.

If a name is not showing in the list, you have the option to click the ‘here’ link which will take you to the Contacts page where you can add new contact details to display in the dropdown menu.

Please click Next.

The Application Details screen contains questions required for your application which will change depending on your application type.

Under Section 1: Project Description, add a brief description of your waste project.

In this example, we’re transferring contaminated earth from Acme Construction site to Acme Landfill.

Under Section 2: Eligibility Criteria, respond to each question to learn whether your application will be eligible for consideration.

Some responses will also prompt you to enter or attach additional information and you are required to add the site details for where the waste is coming from. In this example, we’ll add in that the contaminated earth is coming from 1 Fake Street, Suburbia for the street address. And the real property description as Lot 1 on Plan 12345 and the Contaminated land register identifier of 1234567.

Also we will add in that we are describing earth that has been contaminated by underground fuel tanks and dry-cleaning chemicals and providing justification about why it should go to landfill.

Under Section 3, you are required to select from a list of options that indicate the specific circumstances that apply to your project. One or multiple options can be selected and further questions may display based on your responses.

For a contaminated earth application, the specific circumstances relate to section 10 of the Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation 2023.

For this example, we will check the Historical contamination box which asks us to respond to question 3.1: Was the earth contaminated before 1 January 1992?

Then we’ll select Yes and provide details in the description field.

We will also need to select Not Applicable for non-relevant sections 3.2 to 3.4.

Section 4 asks you to enter the exemption period sought for the exemption application and can be typed in using the day month year format or selected from the calendar pop-up.

We’ll enter an exemption period between 1^st September 2025 to 30 September 2025 in this example and add in the justification for this period.

In Section 5, enter the quantity of exempt waste in tonnes and note that contingencies will not be considered when calculating tonnes requested to be exempt waste.

For this example, we’ve entered 100 tonnes and stated that a qualified surveyor provided these calculations and are supported in the attached documentation.

Click Next to save your application details and move to the next screen.

The next screen is a dedicated Documents screen to upload all supporting documents for your exemption application, including documents you’ve indicated will be provided using checkboxes in the Application Details screen.

Please note, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they upload all documents they’ve indicated they will provide. Any document not provided may result in a request for this document and potentially cause delays.

To attach files, simply click the Upload button to browse files on your computer. Once located, double-click the file and give it a name in the Document Name field. In this example, we’ve added the Soil Analysis Laboratory Report that was checked in the Application Details screen.

You’re able to upload up 13 documents up to 50 megabytes each in size and once you’ve uploaded all your files, click Next.

The Review screen provides you with the opportunity to check your exemption application on one page before submitting.

Error messages are also displayed at the top of the screen to indicate any sections where you’ve missed any mandatory questions or not provided complete or accurate responses. Below the error messages, screen links are provided to direct you to each screen that contains errors.

In this example, there are no error messages.

We’ll now scroll through and review the information added in the previous screens.

Once you’re happy with the information you have provided in the Review screen, click Next.

In the Declaration screen, check the Tick to Accept box to declare the information you have provided is true and correct and understand that it is an offence to knowingly give information that is false, misleading or incomplete.

Then click Submit.

In the Fee Details screen, review the Invoice Item Details including the Total Amount Payable, and if you’re happy, click Next.

In the Application Fee screen, you have two choices: one, enter your Mastercard or Visa details then click Pay Now or two, click Pay Later to defer the payment at a later time.

If you click Pay Later, a pop-up message displays asking you to confirm whether you’re happy for the application to be saved and allow you to make a payment at a later time.

Paying later will update your exemption application status to Awaiting Payment and is yet to be submitted to the Department for assessment.

Under the Application Invoices link in the Record section, a new invoice record will also display with the Status of Pending. You can go to your My Incomplete Actions section to continue your application.

However, in this case we will provide our credit card details and click Pay Now.

The next screen confirms whether your payment has been successful and provides you with an invoice reference.

If your payment is unsuccessful, a message displays asking you to submit valid Mastercard or Visa details.

In this case, our payment has been successful and we will click Submit.

Finally, a message lets you know that your application has been successfully submitted for assessment.

Click Finish to return to your Applications page.

Thanks for watching this QWDS training video.

In this module you have learnt How you can submit exemption applications.

If you’re interested in seeing other QWDS training materials, please go to the department’s website and search for ‘QWDS Training Materials’ to see more training resources.

Bye for now.

Welcome to the quick reference video on How to view and amend an approved exemption in the Queensland Waste Data System, or QWDS for short.

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to: View approved exemption, and, Amend an approved exemption.

If you’re new to exemption application submissions and exemption approvals, we recommend using the Submitting and Managing Exemption Applications and Approved Exemptions user guide which contains more detailed steps. This user guide can be found on the Department’s website by searching for ‘QWDS Training Materials.’

Now let’s begin on the QWDS Home Page.

Under the Records menu, click Applications and then search for your Lodged application using the Status dropdown field and click the Lodgement Date column to sort the most recent applications at the top.

Once an exemption application status has changed from Draft to Lodged, it has been received and is ready to be assessed.

Once the exemption application has been assessed and finalised, the status will update to Closed in the Application screen and you will be notified of the decision.

If approved, the notification will also include an exemption reference number.

To search for your approved exemption, click Approvals under the Records section and click the Start Date column to sort by your exemption start date.

To see more detail or amend your approved exemption, click the Reference Number link to display the Approval Reference screen.

The Summary tab displays General Information, such as exemption status, shown as Active in this example, and usage, including the quantity of exempt waste, remaining tonnes and remaining tonnes percentage. The Remaining Tonnes and Remaining Tonnes percentage fields display the remaining quantity of exempt waste allowed for your approved exemption and will update each time the waste operator submits their monthly waste data within your approved exemption period.

Now click the Documents tab to display documents attached to your approval, such as your exemption approval.

And click Approval History to display previous versions of your exemption approvals. In this case, no history displays as this is a new approved exemption.

To amend an approved exemption, click the Related Actions tab and then click the Start Amendment link.

Amending an approved exemption uses the similar screens and steps to submit a new exemption application.

In this case, the Application Reference: Getting Started screen already populates Your Role and Application Type you’re amending, so simply click Next.

In the Site Details screen, select the waste disposal sites from the dropdown menu. In this example, we’ll select Acme Landfill.

Then click Next.

In the Contact Details screen, select the contact from the dropdown menu. In this example, we’re selecting Joe Citizen.

Then click Next.

In the Application Details screen, provide details of your amendment request. In this example, we’re requesting an extension of the approved exemption period to 28 February 2026 due to weather delays.

Then click Next.

In the Documents screen, attach files by clicking the Upload button to browse files on your computer.

Once the file is located, double-click the file to upload and give it a name in the Document Name field. In this example, we’re uploading the Updated Waste Project Plan.

When all documents have been uploaded, click Next.

The Review screen provides you with the opportunity to check your amendment application on one page before submitting.

Error messages are also displayed at the top of the screen to indicate any sections where you’ve missed any mandatory questions or not provided complete or accurate responses. Below the error messages, screen links are provided to direct you to each screen that contains errors.

In this case, we’re happy with the information provided in the Review screen and will click Next.

In the Declaration screen, check the Tick to Accept box if you agree with the declaration.

Then click Submit.

In the Fee Details screen, review the Invoice Item Details including the Total Amount Payable for the Amendment application fee for contaminated earth.

If you’re happy with the details and amount, click Next.

In the Application Fee screen, you have two choices: one, enter your Mastercard or Visa details then click Pay Now or two, click Pay Later to defer the payment at a later time.

If you click Pay Later, a pop-up message displays asking you to confirm whether you’re happy for the application to be saved and allow you to make a payment at a later time.

Paying later will update your amendment application status to Awaiting Payment and is yet to be submitted to the Department for assessment.

Under the Application Invoices link in the Record section, a new invoice record will also display with the Status of Pending. You can go to your My Incomplete Actions section to continue your application.

However, in this case we will provide our credit card details and click Pay Now.

The next screen confirms if your payment has been successful and provides you with the invoice reference displayed.

Click Submit.

Finally, a successfully submitted for assessment message displays.

Click Finish to finalise your amendment.

In the Applications screen, you can see a new application record has been created with an Application Type of Amend and Application Status as Lodged.

Once the amendment application has been assessed and finalised, the status will update to Closed in the Application screen and you will be notified of the decision.

If approved, the notification will also include an exemption reference number.

In this case, our exemption application has been successful.

To search for your amended approved exemption, click Approvals under the Records section and click the Start Date column to sort by your exemption start date.

To see more detail or further amend your approved exemption, click the Reference Number link to display the Approval Reference screen.

In the next screen, the Approval Reference number will be updated with version 2.

Under the Summary tab, the General Information section displays more details of the amended approval, including the updated exemption end date of the 28 February 2026.

Click Documents to display documents attached to your approval such as your amended exemption approval. You can check the Download box to save a copy to your local drives.

And click Approval History to display previous versions of your exemption approvals. For example, the Version column displays the number one and the status column displays Superseded to indicate it was the original application.

Thanks for watching this QWDS training video.

In this module you have learnt How you can submit exemption applications, and How you can view and amend approved exemptions.

If you’re interested in seeing other QWDS training materials, please go to the department’s website and search for ‘QWDS Training Materials’ to see more training resources.

Bye for now.