Each year the Waste Authority publishes data about waste and recycling activities in Western Australia. The waste and recycling data is primarily collected from annual returns lodged by liable persons to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation under the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Regulations 2008 (WARR Regulations) and through quarterly waste levy returns.
Only solid waste is required to be reported under the WARR Regulations. Most mining, agricultural and forestry wastes are excluded.
The data is used to measure progress towards the targets in the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (waste strategy), meet national reporting requirements and inform policy development and decision-making about waste avoidance and resource recovery in Western Australia.
Waste generated 2022–23
- 7.0 million tonnes of waste was generated, with 4.4 million tonnes recovered (62 per cent) and 2.6 million tonnes disposed of to landfill.
- 50 per cent of all waste generated came from the construction and demolition (C&D) stream, 30 per cent from the commercial and industrial (C&I) stream and 20 per cent from the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream.
- 76 per cent of all waste generated came from the Perth and Peel regions, with 24 per cent from other regions across Western Australia.
Reported waste generation shown as materials recovered, disposed and recovered as energy. Note: prior to 2019–20, waste recovered as energy is shown as ‘material recovered’.
Waste recovery 2022–23
- The overall material recovery rate was 62 per cent, unchanged from 2021–22.
- A total of 4.4 million tonnes of waste was recovered, which is an increase of 4 per cent from the previous year.
- 68 per cent of all recovered materials were C&D category materials.
- Mixed C&D waste (24 per cent), sand and soil (14 per cent) and concrete (13 per cent) were the top three recovered materials by weight in 2022–23.
- 78 per cent of materials recovered were reprocessed in Western Australia, mostly C&D and organic waste.
Annual disposal by waste stream
Domestic waste collected by local governments
- Local governments collected 1.50 million tonnes of domestic waste from their residents and reported a 34 per cent material recovery rate.
- Overall, material recovery was higher in the Perth and Peel regions (37 per cent) compared with other regions in the state (24 per cent).
- Local governments collected 971,000 tonnes of domestic waste through kerbside services.
- 98 per cent of the population had at least one kerbside waste service, and 94 per cent were provided with a comingled recycling service (yellow‑lid bin).
- 17 per cent of the population was provided with a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin and 30 per cent with a garden organics (GO) bin.
- The best-performing kerbside system for material recovery was the three‑bin FOGO system, which provided an average recovery rate of 56 per cent, compared with only 14 per cent for two‑bin systems.
Performance against waste strategy targets
| Sector | 2014–15 baseline | 2022‒23 | Target 2025 | Target 2030 | ||
| Avoid targets | Overall | 2,452 kg per capita | 2,474 kg per capita | 1% | 10% reduction | 20% reduction |
| MSW | 621 kg per capita | 493 kg per capita | 21% | 5% reduction | 10% reduction | |
| C&I | 642 kg per capita | 734 kg per capita | 14% | 5% reduction | 10% reduction | |
| C&D | 1,188 kg per capita | 1,248 kg per capita | 5% | 15% reduction | 30% reduction | |
| Material recovery targets | Overall | 42% recovery | 62% recovery |
No change since 2021–22 |
70% recovery | 75% recovery |
| MSW (Perth and Peel) | 39% recovery | 36% recovery |
No change
since 2021–22 |
67% recovery | 70% recovery | |
| MSW (Major regional centres) | 30% recovery | 29% recovery |
1% since 2021–22 |
55% recovery | 60% recovery | |
| C&I | 53% recovery | 46% recovery |
1% since 2021–22 |
75% recovery | 80% recovery | |
| C&D | 42% recovery | 85% recovery |
No change
since 2021–22 |
77% recovery | 80% recovery | |
| Perth and Peel | Nil | 10 local governments (11 as at June 2024) |
+ 1 since 2021–22 |
All local governments in the Perth and Peel region provide consistent three‑bin kerbside collection systems that include separation of FOGO from other waste categories by 2025 | ||
| Protect target | Overall | 49%* of Perth regions’ waste disposed of to landfill *Peel region data included as non‑metropolitan source prior to 2018–19 | 30% of Perth and Peel regions’ waste disposed of to landfill |
1% since 2021–22 |
No more than 15% of Perth and Peel regions’ waste is disposed of to landfill – by 2030 | |