WMRR’s State of the Nation Waste and Resource Recovery (WARR) Report 2026 provides a comprehensive overview of Australia’s waste and resource recovery sector, examining material flows, infrastructure capacity, levy settings, workforce trends, and policy developments across all states and territories.
Key findings include: Australia generated 75.6 million tonnes of waste in 2022-23, equating to approximately 2.88 tonnes per person. The national resource recovery rate stands at 66%, with significant variation between jurisdictions. Municipal solid waste recovery remains below target in several states, particularly Queensland at 28.2%.
The report highlights critical infrastructure gaps in residual waste processing, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia, and calls for greater investment certainty through improved policy frameworks and levy settings. It also examines the growing challenge of emerging and problematic waste streams, including lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and PFAS-containing materials.
The State of the Nation WARR Report is an essential reference for industry practitioners, government policy makers, and researchers working in the waste and resource recovery sector.