The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) has released the second Economic Contribution of the Australian Organics Recycling Industry report.
The first report was released in 2020 and this current report carries on the biannual series exploring the contribution the organics recycling industry makes to the economy, but also to the environment.
Australian Economic Advocacy Solutions (AEAS) was commissioned by AORA to determine the economic benefit of the Australian Organics Recycling Industry (AORI) to the Australian and state economies.
In 2021-22, the industry recycled 7.7 million tonnes of organic material. Across the decade, the industry’s recycled tonnage has grown by 2.6 per cent each year and compares to Australia’s average population growth rate of 1.4 per cent across the same time.
The Australian Organics Recycling Industry is an important contributor to the Australian economy. Results of a macro-economic analysis of the industry reveal there are 314 businesses operating; 7.7 million tonnes of organic material was recycled and processed in 2021-22; providing 5032 jobs to Australian residents, paying more than $386 million in wages and salaries and an additional $40.5 million towards employee superannuation.
The industry provides an average livelihood of $76,710 to each employee within the industry, which compares to Australian average weekly earnings of $69,103; has a collective turnover of more then $2.1 billion; sources and provides $1.9 billion in benefit across its supply chain; invests $156 million in land, buildings, plant and equipment and vehicles each year; and contributes $781 million in industry value add to the Australian economy.
Furthermore, the industry also has a strong impact on the environment. The total estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) savings from organics recycling in Australia in 2021-22 is about 3.9 million tonnes of CO2-e. These GHG savings are considered equivalent to 5.8 million trees that would have to be planted to absorb the same amount of CO2 and the greenhouse gas emissions that 902,311 cars would produce in a year.
The full contents of the report are being released through a state and national webinar series, run by AORA, between 6 and 15 September. These webinars and the report are exclusive to AORA members.
To learn more, visit: www.aora.org.au
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