In this report, waste generation is the sum of waste disposal and recovery.
Waste generation was estimated as 7.4 million tonnes in 2023–24, an increase of 0.4 million tonnes from the previous year. Waste generation comprised of:
- 4.8 million tonnes of recycled materials
- 0.05 million tonnes of waste recovered as energy
- 2.5 million tonnes waste disposal to landfill.
An increase of 0.3 million tonnes in the recovery of materials from the C&D waste stream was the largest contributing factor to the one year increase in waste generation. There were also smaller increases in waste arising from the C&I (0.1 million tonnes) and MSW (0.04 million tonnes) waste streams.
Drivers behind the sustained increase in reported waste generation since 2017-18 are likely to include the introduction of mandatory waste data reporting, population growth and investment in large‑scale construction projects.
MSW and C&I waste generation rates per capita are consistently higher outside the Perth and Peel regions.
Overall waste generation per capita has increased from 2,466 kg in 2014-15 to 2,491 kg in 2023-24.
However, MSW generation per capita declined from 625 kg in 2014-15 to 481 kg in 2023-24. This has likely driven by the move towards digital media consumption and lighter weight products and packaging.
Dashboard 3: Waste generation
Waste materials
The material composition of waste generated in the MSW stream is reasonably well understood due to audits of kerbside bins, mostly conducted in the Perth metropolitan region. In 2023-24, organic waste (mostly garden and food waste) made up 46 per cent or, 0.7 million tonnes of the MSW stream, followed by paper and cardboard at 15 per cent or 0.2 million tonnes. Glass and plastics were the next most common materials, by weight, in the MSW stream with each accounting for 9 per cent or 0.1 million tonnes of MSW generated.
Unsurprisingly, almost all materials arising in the C&D waste stream are C&D type materials and most of these materials are reported to the department as mixed loads.
In Western Australia, the material composition of the C&I waste stream is not well understood because to date, there have been no composition audits of C&I waste sent to landfill.
Dashboard 4: Material composition
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