Indicator: HS-57 Amounts of solid waste recycled
Data
| Capital Cities | Rest of Australia | Australia wide | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ('000) | % | ('000) | % | ('000) | % | |
| Mar-03 | ||||||
| Households that recycle waste | 4525.5 | 97.0 | 2730.6 | 93.0 | 7256.0 | 95.4 |
| Households that reuse waste | 3795.1 | 81.3 | 2502.6 | 85.2 | 6297.7 | 82.8 |
| Households not recycling and/or reusing waste | 89.7 | 1.9 | 94.1 | 3.2 | 183.8 | 2.4 |
| Total households | 4667.8 | 100.0 | 2937.4 | 100.0 | 7605.2 | 100.0 |
| Mar-00 | ||||||
| Households that recycle waste | 4310.9 | 96.2 | 2555.8 | 90.8 | 6866.7 | 94.2 |
| Households that reuse waste | 3534.7 | 78.9 | 2308.7 | 82.1 | 5843.3 | 80.1 |
| Households not recycling and/or reusing waste | 106.5 | 2.4 | 124.2 | 4.4 | 230.7 | 3.2 |
| Total households | 4479.1 | 100.0 | 2813.4 | 100.0 | 7292.6 | 100.0 |
| Mar-96 | ||||||
| Households that recycle waste | 3707.1 | 91.4 | 2188.0 | 83.8 | 5895.0 | 88.4 |
| Households that reuse waste | 1253.6 | 30.9 | 1178.6 | 45.1 | 2432.2 | 36.5 |
| Households not recycling and/or reusing waste | 302.0 | 7.4 | 321.5 | 12.3 | 623.5 | 9.4 |
| Total households | 4057.4 | 100.0 | 2610.6 | 100.0 | 6667.9 | 100.0 |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005
| Capital Cities | Rest of Australia | Australia-wide | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ('000) | % | ('000) | % | ('000) | % | |
| Mar 2003 | ||||||
| Paper/cardboard | 4358.3 | 93.4 | 2364.2 | 80.5 | 6722.5 | 88.4 |
| Glass | 4205.8 | 90.1 | 2276.5 | 77.5 | 6482.3 | 85.2 |
| Aluminium cans | 3816.4 | 81.8 | 2041.3 | 69.5 | 5857.8 | 77.0 |
| Steel cans | 3336.9 | 71.5 | 1630.6 | 55.5 | 4967.5 | 65.3 |
| Plastic bottles | 4301.5 | 92.2 | 2339.1 | 79.6 | 6640.5 | 87.3 |
| Plastic bags | 4053.7 | 86.8 | 2522.4 | 85.9 | 6576.1 | 86.5 |
| Motor oil | 446.1 | 9.6 | 454.7 | 15.5 | 900.8 | 11.8 |
| Kitchen or food waste | 1866.7 | 40.0 | 1684.5 | 57.3 | 3551.1 | 46.7 |
| Garden waste | 2772.0 | 59.4 | 1910.0 | 65.0 | 4682.0 | 61.6 |
| Old clothing or rags | 3818.9 | 81.8 | 2448.8 | 83.4 | 6267.7 | 82.4 |
| No recycling or reuse | 89.7 | 1.9 | 94.1 | 3.2 | 183.8 | 2.4 |
| Total households | 4667.8 | 100.0 | 2937.4 | 100.0 | 7605.2 | 100.0 |
| Mar 2000 | ||||||
| Paper/cardboard | 4034.4 | 90.1 | 2144.7 | 76.2 | 6179.1 | 84.7 |
| Glass | 3952.8 | 88.2 | 2045.7 | 72.7 | 5998.6 | 82.3 |
| Cans | 3619.9 | 80.8 | 1817.1 | 64.6 | 5436.9 | 74.6 |
| Plastic bottles | 3936.0 | 87.9 | 1999.7 | 71.1 | 5935.7 | 81.4 |
| Plastic bags | 3754.7 | 83.8 | 2271.0 | 80.7 | 6025.7 | 82.6 |
| Motor oil | 427.1 | 9.5 | 456.4 | 16.2 | 883.5 | 12.1 |
| Kitchen or food waste | 2049.7 | 45.8 | 1600.7 | 56.9 | 3650.4 | 50.1 |
| Garden waste | 2629.4 | 58.7 | 1777.6 | 63.2 | 4407.0 | 60.4 |
| Old clothing or rags | 3727.2 | 83.2 | 2358.2 | 83.8 | 6085.5 | 83.4 |
| No recycling or reuse | 106.5 | 2.4 | 124.2 | 4.4 | 230.7 | 3.2 |
| Total households | 4479.1 | 100.0 | 2813.4 | 100.0 | 7292.6 | 100.0 |
| Mar 1996 | ||||||
| Paper/cardboard | 3322.0 | 81.9 | 1646.3 | 63.1 | 4968.3 | 74.5 |
| Glass | 3227.3 | 79.5 | 1668.9 | 63.9 | 4896.1 | 73.4 |
| Cans | 2694.4 | 66.4 | 1449.1 | 55.5 | 4143.5 | 62.1 |
| Plastic | 2873.1 | 70.8 | 1579.7 | 60.5 | 4452.8 | 66.8 |
| Motor oil | 384.0 | 9.5 | 366.2 | 14.0 | 750.2 | 11.3 |
| Kitchen/food waste | 1633.9 | 40.3 | 1356.8 | 52.0 | 2990.6 | 44.9 |
| Garden waste | 1952.5 | 48.1 | 1434.5 | 54.9 | 3387.0 | 50.8 |
| Old clothing/rags | 2727.1 | 67.2 | 1711.8 | 65.6 | 4438.8 | 66.6 |
| No recycling or reuse | 302.0 | 7.4 | 321.5 | 12.3 | 623.5 | 9.4 |
| Total households | 4057.4 | 100.0 | 2610.6 | 100.0 | 6667.9 | 100.0 |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005
| Disposed | Recycled | Total Generated | Diversion Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 6 341 000 | 5 830 000 | 12 170 000 | 48 |
| Victoria | 4 180 000 | 4 429 000 | 8 609 000 | 51 |
| Qld | 2 722 000 | 1 251 000 | 3 973 000 | 31 |
| WA 1 | 2 696 000 | 826 000 | 3 522 000 | 23 |
| SA 2 | 1 277 000 | 2 156 000 | 3 433 000 | 63 |
| ACT 3 | 207 000 | 467 000 | 674 000 | 69 |
| Total 4 | 17 423 000 | 14 959 000 | 32 382 000 | 46 |
1 The total disposal figure for WA is for Metropolitan Perth
2 The total recycling figure for SA includes meat waste, a prescribed industrial waste
3 The total recycling figure for the ACT includes cooking oil and fat, motor oil, salvage and reuse, and paint
4 There are currently no data available for Tasmania and NT
Source: Nolan-ITU 2002, Recycling - How does Australia Compare?, Nolan-ITU Pty Ltd, Melbourne, viewed 30 May 2006, http://www.nolanitu.com.au/__data/page/10/Recycling_Comparison_Report.pdf.
Source: Nolan-ITU 2006, Recycling - How does Australia Compare?, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra, viewed 30 May 2006, http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/waste/subs/sub103main.pdf, p. 6.
| Product | Recycling Rate (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Best known International Performance | |
| Total paper | 47 | 71 (Germany) |
| Newspaper | 70 | 70 (USA) |
| Cardboard | 73 | 84 (Sweden) |
| Telephone directories | 33 | 80 (Austria, Germany) |
| Liquid paperboard | 10 | 68 (Germany) |
| Total plastics | 11 | 22 (Austria) |
| Plastic packaging | 17 | 53 (Germany) |
| Glass packaging | 44 | 89 (Switzerland) |
| Aluminium cans | 67 | 95 (Finland |
| Steel cans | 41 | 84 (Japan) |
| Waste to energy | <1 | 58 (Denmark) |
| Composting organics | na | 17 (Spain) |
Source: Nolan-ITU 2002, Recycling - How does Australia Compare?, Nolan-ITU Pty Ltd, Melbourne, viewed 30 May 2006, http://www.nolanitu.com.au/__data/page/10/Recycling_Comparison_Report.pdf.
Volume of used oil recycled under the Product Stewardship for Oil Programme, 2000—01 to 2004—05
Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH), 2006, unpublished data
Note: 2000-01 data are for six months, from the start of benefits from the Product Stewardship for Oil Programme in January 2001.
What the data mean
Comprehensive data on recycling rates at the national level are not available for Australia. A recent study (Hyder Consulting, 2006; 6) on recycling in the major States estimates an overall diversion rate of 46%. Nolan-ITU (2002, 12) estimated a recycling rate for domestic wastes to be 20% (based on data from Victoria (25-30%) which was extrapolated and adjusted for states with known waste diversion rates based on waste generation and recycling yields).
In March 2003 there were nearly 98% of households in Australia which either recycled or reused their wastes. The proportion of households recycling or reusing wastes has increased to 97% in March 2000 from 91% in March 1996.
Households in capital cities were more likely to recycle or reuse their wastes (98%) compared to those outside capital cities (97%). The proportion of capital city households which either recycled or reused their wastes in 1996 was nearly 93% contrasting with the households outside capital cities which was 88%.
Paper/cardboard waste was the material that was recycled and/or reused by most households followed by glass and aluminium cans.
The amount of used oil being recycled has increased dramatically. Of an estimated 280-300 million litres of potentially recoverable used oil, more than 220 million litres was recycled and reused in 2004-05, a large increase from the estimated 160 million litres of used oil recycled before the introduction of the Product Stewardship for Oil Programme in 2000.
Issues for which this is an indicator and why
Human Settlements — General responses provided to improve the environment - Other responses
Changes in proportion of waste recycled is indicative of the effectiveness of the societal response to the problem of waste.
Other indicators for this issue:
- HS-38 Energy efficiency in households
- HS-44 Urban stormwater and wastewater reuse
- HS-46 Usage of water efficient appliances
- HS-47 Number of tanks installed in residential areas
Further Information
Source: Nolan-ITU 2002, Recycling - How Does Australia Compare?, Nolan-ITU Pty Ltd, Melbourne.
Source: Aquatech 1997, Estimating Potential Methane Production, Recovery and Use from Waste, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage 2005, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2003, Part B, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Canberra, viewed N/A, http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/inventory/2003/index.html.
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