Council condition on your permit? Architect just flagged it wasn't in scope? We prepare Waste Management Plans for Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth developments that are clear, compliant, and ready on time.
Get a quote →Send us your plans. We'll confirm scope, cost, and turnaround within 24 hours.
A Waste Management Plan (WMP) is a council planning requirement that documents how a development will manage waste and recycling throughout its life. It covers bin storage, collection access, waste stream separation, and resource recovery targets.
Most councils in Victoria, NSW, and WA require a WMP as part of planning permit applications for residential developments of five or more dwellings, and for most commercial or mixed-use projects.
Getting the WMP right early avoids a common trap: submitting a plan that council's waste officer rejects, triggering conditions, delays, and revised drawings you weren't budgeting for.
Required at planning permit stage for most residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments. Covers bin storage, collection vehicle access, and resource recovery. This is the document a council planning officer assesses.
Required for the construction phase, often as a building permit condition. Documents how site waste will be separated and diverted from landfill. Increasingly required by councils even where no planning WMP is needed.
Waste Management Plans are often the last thing added to a scope — which makes them the most likely to cause delays. These are the situations we see most often.
Planning permit condition — the most common trigger. Standard WMPs take 5–7 business days. Send us your plans now and we’ll confirm turnaround before your lodgement date.
Missed from original scope — common, and fixable. We work from permit drawings. No BIM files, no separate briefing. Email us the PDF and we’ll handle the rest.
Rejected WMP — council waste officers have specific expectations that vary between councils. We proactively engage with the waste team before submitting, so rejections are rare.
Mixed-use development — we structure the WMP to address each tenancy type separately so council assessors can follow the logic without raising questions.
Bundling with ESD / SDA — depends on the council. We prepare the WMP standalone or integrated into your ESD report. When we handle both, the waste strategy is consistent across all documents.
Building permit stage — C&D WMPs are increasingly required here, not just at planning. We prepare them standalone or alongside the operational WMP.
Green Star projects require a more detailed operational WMP — covering waste storage, collection frequency, and recycling infrastructure to satisfy the relevant credit. We structure it to meet both council and Green Star assessor requirements in a single document.
Yes — and they vary considerably between Victoria, WA, and NSW. We work to each council's specific requirements as standard, so your WMP won't come back for revisions.
"We're still in pre-DA. Is it too early to be thinking about the WMP?"
Early is better. WMPs have spatial implications — bin storage, vehicle access, and turning circles need to be resolved in the drawings. Getting scope confirmed at pre-DA means compliance is designed in, not retrofitted after permit.
Email your architectural drawings (PDF is fine) and your project address. We check council requirements and confirm scope within 24 hours.
You receive a fixed-fee quote with a confirmed turnaround date. No hourly rates, no hidden costs.
We prepare the WMP to your council's specific requirements. Design issues are flagged before they become permit conditions.
You receive a council-ready PDF for lodgement. We stay available for any council questions after submission.
A Waste Management Plan (WMP) is a document required by council as part of a planning permit application. It sets out how a development will manage waste and recycling — covering bin storage, collection vehicle access, waste stream separation, and resource recovery targets. Most councils in Victoria, NSW, and WA require one for residential developments of five or more dwellings, and for commercial or mixed-use projects.
An operational WMP addresses ongoing waste management once the building is occupied. Think bins, storage, collection access, and recycling. A Construction & Demolition (C&D) WMP covers waste generated during the build itself, including materials diversion targets and site waste tracking. Some projects require both (particularly in NSW); others only one. We’ll confirm which applies to your project when you send us your drawings.
If your planning permit application is for five or more dwellings, or for a commercial, mixed-use, or industrial development, there’s a high chance a WMP is required. Requirements vary by council and project type. The quickest way to find out is to send us your plans — we’ll check your council’s requirements and confirm scope within 24 hours, at no cost.
Standard WMPs are delivered within 5–7 business days of receiving your drawings and confirming scope. Complex or mixed-use projects may take slightly longer. If you have a hard lodgement deadline, let us know upfront — we’ll tell you if we can meet it before you commit.
In most cases, just your architectural drawings (PDF and/or DWG is fine) and your project address. Faster for smaller projects .We extract everything else we need —development schedule, floor plans, site plan, bin storage locations, vehicle access — from the drawings directly. No BIM files, no separate briefing sessions, no back-and-forth.
It depends on the council. Some councils accept the WMP as a section within the ESD report; others require it as a standalone document. When Makao is handling both your ESD report and WMP, we structure the documents to meet your specific council’s submission requirements — and make sure the waste strategy is consistent across both.
Yes. For councils with specific waste team requirements — particularly in Melbourne’s inner north and inner east — we proactively engage with the waste officer before submitting. This dramatically reduces the risk of a rejection or additional conditions being raised post-lodgement. We also respond to any council questions that arise after submission.
