Key findings | Waste Authority WA

7.4 million tonnes of waste was generated, with 4.8 million tonnes recycled (65 per cent) and 2.5 million tonnes disposed of to landfill. This is a six per cent increase in waste generation from the previous year (7 million tonnes).
51 per cent of all waste generated came from the construction and demolition (C&D) stream, 29 per cent from the commercial and industrial (C&I) stream and 19 per cent from the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream.
81 per cent of all waste generated came from the Perth and Peel regions, with 19 per cent from other regions across Western Australia.

The overall recovery rate, including energy recovery from waste, was 66 per cent which is a three per cent increase from the previous year.
The recycling rate, which excludes energy recovery from waste was 65 per cent up from 62 per cent in 2022-23.
A total of 4.8 million tonnes of waste was recycled, with an additional 0.05 million tonnes of waste recovered as energy.
69 per cent of all recycled materials were classified as construction and demolition (C&D) category materials.
77 per cent of waste was recycled in WA, mostly consisting of C&D and organic waste.

Local governments collected 1.5 million tonnes of domestic waste from their residents and reported a 32 per cent recovery rate down from 34 per cent in 2022-23.
Local governments collected one million tonnes of domestic waste through kerbside services, with 28 per cent of this waste recovered.
The best performing kerbside system for material recovery was the three‑bin FOGO system. Three‑bin FOGO systems had an average recovery rate of 58 per cent, compared with only 14 per cent for two‑bin systems.

Overall waste generation and generation per capita has increased 18 and five per cent respectively since 2014-15.
In contrast, MSW generation per capita has declined from 625 kg in 2014-15 to 481 kg in 2023-24. This is likely driven by the move towards digital media consumption and lighter weight products and packaging.
Tonnes of waste recovered has increased 81 per cent from 2.7 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 4.8 million in 2023-24. This is driven by increases in C&D recycling.