The waste and resource recovery (WARR) industry provides essential community services and can play a key role in helping Australia meet its emissions reduction and waste minimisation targets.
Australia’s WARR industry is worth $17 billion to the national economy, directly employing around 50,000 people, including from engineers, technical specialists, waste collectors and drivers. This number will grow as Australia transitions from a linear ‘make, take and dispose’ economy to a circular economy in which materials can be used repeatedly in various forms. For every job in landfill, there are three jobs created in recycling.
National Snapshot
37%
Reduction in GHG emissions from landfill since 1990
73.93 Mt
of waste generated anually
67%
National resource recovery rate
$7B
of direct economic contribution towards GDP per year
39,491
Full time employees across the sector
Total Waste Generation (Mt)
Resource Recovery By Stream
52%
58%
81%
Why it matters
Lower Emissions
Resource recovery advoided 4Mt of emissions in 2023-24
Circular Future
Turning waste into resources for a sustainable Australia.
Cost Savings
Saved households and businesses $9 Billion in 2023-24
National Waste and Resource Recovery Targets
Under the 2019 National Waste Policy Action Plan, the Australian Government, with the agreement of the state and territory governments, has set the following targets:
| Target | Status |
|---|---|
|
1. Banning the export of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres, commencing in the second half of 2020 Achieved |
Achieved |
|
2. Reducing the total waste generated in Australia by 10% per person by 2030 |
Off track |
|
3. Achieving an average 80% recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030 Off track |
Off track |
|
4. Significantly increasing the use of recycled content by governments and industry Off track |
Off track |
|
5. Phasing out problematic and unnecessary plastics by 2025 |
Off track |
|
6. Halving the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030 |
Off track |
|
7. Making comprehensive, economy-wide and timely data publicly available to support better consumer, investment and policy decisions. On track |
On track |
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