Updated reporting on National Waste and Resource Recovery is now available.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of waste and resource recovery in Australia up to 2022-23. Resource recovery includes waste reuse, recycling and energy recovery.
Data on waste and resource recovery is now available in an interactive, web-based format, making it easier to search and use.
Trends since the 2020-21 report:
- Nationally we are producing less waste per person and recovering more.
- Total waste generated has increased by 0.9% to 76 mega tonnes, however waste generation per capita has reduced by 1.8%.
- The total amount of waste recycled and reused has increased by 5.6%, and waste recycled and reused per capita has increased by 2.8%.
- We are producing less organic waste and recovering more.
- The recovery rate of organics has risen to 62%, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.
- Organic waste generation per capita has decreased by 7.4%.
- We are producing more plastic waste and recovering less.
- The recovery rate of plastics was 12.5%, a decrease of 0.4%.
- Plastic waste generated has increased 14.5% in total tonnes and has increased 11.6% per capita.
Plastic packaging is a large part of the plastic pollution problem. We are exploring options to reform Australia's packaging system.
Waste and resource recovery is everyone's responsibility. Governments, industries, businesses and the community all need to play a part. Data included in the report was obtained from state and territory governments.
The report is released together with:
- national waste reporting tools for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years
- the National Waste Database 2024.
