The EPA gathers and collates a range of waste and recycling data, which is provided to the Australian Government for integration into the national waste reporting system.
This data is incorporated into such reports as the biennial National Waste Report, the Hazardous Waste in Australia Report, the National Environment Protection Councils Annual Report and the annual
Basel Convention Report.
EPA collects data on an annual basis from landfill operators, composting facilities and by surveying Tasmanian waste producers and recycling facilities.
Work is currently underway to develop a national standard for data and reporting, in which all states and territories will be engaged for input.
The following provides a brief summary of the key waste data collected by EPA.
Waste Generation and Recovery
Data trends show that rates of recycling and composting have both increased, resulting in an increase in the total recovery rates. Factors contributing to these trends are likely to include:
- improved data collection and reporting for recycling and composting in Tasmania
- actual increased rates of recycling and composting in Tasmania
Table 1. Waste generation (tonnes) and recovery rates over the past eight years
|
2011-12 | 460,467
| 159,633
| 41,298
| 661,398
| 30.4% |
|
2012-13 | 471,921
| 182,193
| 42,748
| 696,861
| 32.3% |
|
2013-14 | 398,603
| 200,380
| 37,642
| 636,625
| 37.4% |
|
2014-15 | 415,443
| 194,170
| 39,350
| 648,964
| 36.0% |
|
2015-16 | 412,864
| 189,635
| 33,848
| 636,342
| 35.1% |
|
2016-17 | 415,863
| 242,366
| 78,512
| 736,741
| 43.5% |
2017-18
| 439,600
| 258,211
| 73,496
| 771,308
| 43.0% |
2018-19
| 402,921
| 259,829
| 86,469
| 749,219
| 46.2%
|
Of the 402,921 tonnes of waste disposed of to landfill during the 2018-19 period approximately:
- 54.5% was generated by commercial and industrial sector
- 36.7% was municipal waste
- 8.8% was construction and demolition waste
