Recycling in Australia
In addition to local council regulations, legislation and overarching policies are implemented and managed by the state and federal governments.
[2] Prior to World War II, open and unregulated landfills as well as incinerators were a popular and viable solution to Australia's waste problem.
Similarly to pre World War II, the only major recycled product was paper- with 30% of consumption collected.
[3][4] The introduction of container deposit schemes in Australia during the 1980s and 1990s encouraged community groups to collect aluminium cans for recycling in many states and territories.
Collection rates for both materials rose to about 65% Australia wide with the amount of waste generated by each person reaching ~1 tonne a year.
[3] At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 Australia was a signatory to Agenda 21.
"[3] In an attempt to encourage recycling, Australian states started imposing higher levies on landfills after 2006.
[15][16] These incentives make recycling a viable option for households due to the small or non-existent cost associated with using the service/s.
[17][18][19] Household recycling in Australia is typically done through a system of kerbside collection bins with different coloured lids to represent different waste streams.
[29] Due to the aluminium's unique properties and high sale price, it can be recycled endlessly into new products.
[30][29] Recycling rates in Australia for aluminium packaging sits between 44% and 66% with the majority of processing occurring onshore.
[43] Plastic waste can be reprocessed in a number of ways, with the result of being reconverted into various new products, such as bottles, bins, bags or piping.
[45] After the introduction of Operation National Sword, the figure fell significantly to only 16% of exported mixed plastic scrap being sent to China during the full financial year of 2017–18.
[53] Accepted items vary council to council, however these items are commonly accepted in the food and garden organics bin:[54][51] Upon collection, contents of the bin are taken to a composting site where it is screened for contamination before being turned into soil, potting mix, or mulch.
[55] Fixed hard waste collections happen twice a year, typically during the seasons of autumn and spring.
Supermarkets and retailers that sell hard to recycle items typically have a bin for customers to dispose of these hard to recycle waste streams, with examples of bins including soft plastics, batteries, ink cartridges, and electronic waste.
[67] Electronic waste collection services were mandated under The National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme in 2011, and can be dropped off at transfer stations, and electronic/appliance retailers.
[74] In a bid to help recycle this material, until 2022 the RED Group collected soft plastics dropped off by consumers at Coles and Woolworths stores at Redcycle bins.
The collected materials were sorted and sent to Replas, where they were recycled and turned into park furniture, road surfaces and bollards.
It was announced in February 2024 that 12 locations in Melbourne would offer drop off bins for scrunchable food soft plastic that could be recycled through a newly operated facility.
[75] The new program aims at reusing the soft plastic into shopping trolleys and baskets, replace aggregate in concrete or become an additive for asphalt road.
[81] B-cycle is a national recycling scheme in place to make it easier for Australians to dispose of their old batteries.
[79] Transfer stations and all IKEA stores accept light bulbs and fluorescent tubes for recycling.
[83] Automotive recycling is considered one of the main solutions the growing number of vehicles reaching end-of-life (EOL) cycle.
Since beginning operations in 2016, Paintback has recycled over 36 million kilograms of paint and packaging through 165+ drop-off locations.
[94] The program is funded by a 15-cent per litre levy on products sold by Australia's major paint manufacturers.
[96] Once collected, chemicals are sealed in drums and are transported to a specialist waste treatment facility for recycling.
In Australia, there are a range of textile recycling businesses, store drop-off programs, and reuse initiatives.
[100] In total, more than 800,000 tonnes of leather, rubber and textiles were discarded 2018–19 with a recycling rate of just 7 per cent according to the most recent National Waste Report.
[106] For demolition sites, waste is sometimes sorted and sold for reuse – examples being roof tiles, bricks, and building fixtures.
