Sneak a peek at the 2020 National Waste Report

Did you know?

  • The amount of ash waste (mostly from coal-fired power stations) generated in Australia each year is “about the same as all household waste landfilled and recycled.”

  • 47% of the generated ash (5.9 million tonnes in 2018-2019) was recycled – primarily as a substitute material in the mining and construction industries. Non-Recycled material was placed in on-site ash dams.

  • 47% recycling of coal ash is much lower than the global average. Japan recycles 97%, China 70% and the UK 70%.

  • If we allow incineration of mixed waste to increase (commonly referred to as Waste to Energy) we will have more ash to recycle or dispose of? Not to mention the air pollution.

  • "About 80kt of tyre dust was left on our roads. Much of this would be washed into the ocean.”

  • Significant opportunities remain to improve the recovery of organic.? Of the 4.43million tonnes of non-hazardous food waste, about 3.76 million tonnes (85%) was deposited in landfill.

 

Are you curious to know about other wastes in the whole Australian economy? 

Here is a summary of the ‘material flows’ and you can find out more by reading the Report: https://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste/national-waste-reports/2020

 

MATERIAL PER CAPITA IN 2018-2019 % RECYCLED % RECYCLED CONTENT NOTES
Ash 490kg 47% - From coal-fired power stations = domestic waste
Glass 46kg 59% 27% 90% was used for packaging
Hazardous 300kg 24% - Contaminated soils, asbestos. Some soil is treated
Masonry 909kg 82% - Bricks, concrete etc - largely turned into road base
Metals 223kg 90% 37% WINNERS! 86% steel, 8% aluminium, 6% others
Organics 593kg 60% - Manures, bagasse, mill mud, food organics (just 10%); compost, mulch, bio-solids applied to land
Paper + Cardboard 235kg 60% 52% More than half goes into packaging, then office paper, newsprint (less each year), tissues etc
Plastic 101kg 13% 4% One third used in items used for less than 1 year
Textiles 31kg 7% - Clothing, carpets, furniture coverings, rags etc. recycled textiles mostly exported
Tyres 18kg 30% 5% Most whole end of life tyres will be subject to new waste export bans
TOTAL 2,946kg      

 

 

Back to March 2021 Newsletter page >>

Copyright 2021 Boomerang Alliance © All Rights Reserved

 

We acknowledge that the name of our organisation includes the name of the Aboriginal tool, the BOOMERANG, adopted for the symbolism of returning to the user. We hope that the resources we use, which all come from the land, will be part of a circular economy and return to that economy again and again. We respectfully commit to Care for Country in the spirit of the Indigenous custodians of this land and these waters. We recognise that there has never been compensation for stolen country. We continue to show our respect to Indigenous leaders, past, present and emerging. May we all walk respectfully on the land and protect the waterways which are life.

 

 

Created by Code Nation using NationBuilder