Queensland Waste Data System

The Queensland Waste Data System (QWDS) is a web-based system for operators to report on all their waste data requirements. Operators have the ability to log into QWDS using a secure log in and enter in required information.

Login to QWDS

What can be reported through QWDS:

Data return/survey Who applies toWhenWhat
Monthly Summary return Metro and Regional levy zones – all landfill operators

Non-levy zone – operators that received waste from a levy zone in that levy period*.
By the last business day of the next month after a levy period

Summary information of all waste and other materials coming onto the waste disposal site

These commence Aug 19 and replace quarterly returns

User guide and explainer videos

Monthly detailed data return Metro and Regional levy zones – operators that are required to hold an Environmental Authority to receive >5,000 tonnes p.a*.

Non-levy zone -  operators that are required to hold an Environmental Authority to receive >5,000 tonnes p.a and receive >=50 tonnes in that levy period
By the last business day of the next month after a levy period

Detailed information of all waste and other materials coming onto the waste disposal site

User guide and explainer video

Volumetric survey Metro and Regional levy zones – required for all existing and new sites

Non-levy zone – operators that receive >600 tonnes of levyable waste in the previous calendar year for existing sites and new cells 
Levy zone – annually by 31 July#

For any new site/cell by the end of the following month in which the survey is carried out

Non-levy zone – by 31 July in following year 
Size and content of the waste disposal site
Annual waste survey Those identified by the department as operators who receive, sort, recycle, treat or dispose of waste above a threshold prescribed under a regulation and are part of a sector of entities Annually by 31 August Information on how much waste an entity receives, sorts, recycles, treats or disposes off

* Please refer to the Exemption applications page if you consider your business may be eligible for a levy an exemption.

# This requirement does not apply to small sites holding an environmental authority to dispose less than 2,000 tonnes of waste per year, until 1 June 2022.

More information and resources

Monthly summary data return user guides:

Duration 2:48

Welcome to the Queensland Waste Data System, or QWDS, training. This session will show the Data Entry person how to complete the Summary Return.

So the Summary Return provides the information used to calculate the levy:

  • A Data Entry person can enter the data but can’t submit the return – that part must be completed by a Verifier
  • The Summary Return data is entered manually, and
  • The Summary Return must be submitted by the last business day of the month after the levy data is collected
    • So, for example, your July data must be submitted by the last business day in August

So some tips when you’re entering your Summary Return:

  • Use the tab key or mouse to move to the next data entry box
  • If you hit the enter key, it will try and save the form even if you haven’t finished entering the data
  • Save Changes allows you to save what you’ve already entered and come back to it later, and
  • If you have more than one site, the Next button will take you to your next site
  • Once you’ve entered the data for all of your sites you will be taken to the Total Levy screen

So let’s go and have a look in QWDS and see what this looks like. So when you log into QWDS you’re presented with your dashboard. We’re going to enter our Summary Return by going to the left hand side here where it says Summary Returns. And for this example we’re going to submit our return for June.

Now, it says ‘submit’ but at this stage it’s still data entry so we click on Submit, and we’re presented with our first site alphabetically. So if you have no activity for that month for that site you can tick on this box here and that will zero the return. Otherwise you’ll need to go and complete the details of the incoming waste first.

So enter your figures in, and the tonnes to levyable part of site is actually what calculates your levy, so you’ll notice as we’re completing that, the calculation is happening down the bottom here.

So once you’ve entered all of your data for all of the rows in incoming waste, you move to the source of the incoming waste. So the tonnes received here must equal the tonnes received up here. So we’re going to put 100 in here, say that it’s all come from the levy zone. Similarly we move to waste movements to levyable part of the site and that must equal the tonnes that have gone to the levyable part of the site. So we’re just going to put in 90 there, to match that. You can add notes here and this is where we could click on Save Changes, otherwise we’re going to click on Next.

So, we’re presented with our next site alphabetically, and once again we go and type in the information as required for each row, and once again our levy is calculated. So we’ll need to match the tonnes to the source of incoming waste to the tonnes received, and the tonnes to levyable part of the site to the waste movements to levyable part of the site. Once we’ve completed all of our sites, we hit Next and we end up at our Total Levy screen.

So as the Verifier has to come in and complete this part later, as the Data Entry person you can only save this data, so you’ve got this opportunity to confirm that this information is correct. Once you’re happy with that you can click on Save, and your part is done. And you’ll notice now that, for June, it says the status is Draft.

So once you’ve entered your Summary Return you have to notify the Verifier that it’s ready for verifying and submitting. So the Verifier needs to ensure they validate the data entered and submit the Summary Return by the last business day of the month.

If you have any questions about QWDS, please use the contact details on your screen right now.

Thank you very much.

Duration hh:mm:ss

Monthly detailed data return user guide:

Duration 2:15

Welcome to the Queensland Waste Data System, or QWDS, training. This session will show you how to upload a Detailed Data Return. This can be done by the Data Entry person or the Verifier.

The Detailed Data file:

  • Must be ‘.csv’ file format to upload. It looks like an excel spreadsheet but must have the file format ‘.csv’
  • It can be uploaded before or after the Summary Return
  • And it’s due to be uploaded the month after the levy period, so July data must be uploaded in August
  • And it does not affect the Summary Return.

So let’s go and have a look at how we upload the Detailed Data Return.

So once we’ve logged in to QWDS you’ll be taken to your dashboard and the example today we’re going to upload a Detailed Data Return for April, so we can do that here, or we go over to our left-hand side where it says Detailed Data, go to the row that says April, says awaiting data and click on Upload.

We then need to tick the box that says it accurately represents the levy period and we click on Browse to find our file, select our file, click on Open and then you’re presented with an Upload button. So once we click on that, it actually starts uploading the file. If there are any problems at that stage it will highlight here and tell you what’s happening. Otherwise it just takes a couple of minutes for the information to be uploaded, and it gets validated as it’s doing that.

So now it says it’s saving – you don’t need to watch this, you can actually come back to it, but just make sure that once it’s done, that it actually says that it’s uploaded successfully.

So as you can see now it says ‘Your file was successfully uploaded’ and that’s all you need to do.

So, once you’ve actually uploaded it you can export it at a later date and if you have any problems with your Detailed Data please refer to the troubleshooting guide or contact us on the details below, otherwise thank you.

If you require access to QWDS, please complete the below forms and submit to Enquiries.QWDS@des.qld.gov.au.