Waste ending up in landfill on the decline in WA

The WA Government has released two recycling survey reports which show a significant increase in recycling rates in some waste sectors.

The 2015-16 Census of Local Government Waste and Recycling Services and the Recycling Activity in Western Australia 2015-16 reports showed recycling rates were increasing in the state’s commercial and construction sectors. Waste recycling in the commercial and industrial sector was 56 per cent in 2015-16 – exceeding the state’s 2015 target of 55 per cent.

In the construction and demolition sector, the recycling rate improved by 15 percentage points to 57 per cent in 2015-16 compared to the previous year.

However, the recycling rate in the municipal waste sector fell to 36 per cent in the Perth metropolitan region in 2015-16, well below the state’s target of 50 per cent.

The census confirmed that three-bin systems – including those in the state government’s Better Bins program – outperformed two-bin kerbside collection systems.

The census also showed that local governments in Western Australia spent $288 million collecting 1.5 million tonnes of domestic waste in 2015-16, with an average of 28 kilograms of waste generated per household each week.

 

“It’s encouraging to see that three-bin systems funded through the $20 million Better Bins program are proving to be an effective way of improving kerbside recycling rates,” said Environment Minister Stephen Dawson.

“There are significant gains to be made by improving the performance of kerbside recovery systems and I encourage local governments to apply for Better Bins program funding.”

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