Indicator description

What does the data show

Data

Acknowledgment

Indicator description

The indicator is described in ANZECC (2000) as: solid waste generated per year split into:

• quantity and percentage disposed to landfill or incinerated, and
   


• quantity and percentage diverted from waste disposal facilities (reused, recycled or reprocessed);
   


• municipal (domestic, other domestic, other council wastes);
   


• commercial and industrial, and
   


• building and demolition.
   

In relation to solid waste generation, this indicator can only be reported in Tasmania for municipal wastes from kerbside collection, based on now dated survey data. However, data on solid waste disposal has improved significantly since the last SoE Report owing to a DPIWE funded survey.

What does the data show

• There are a limited number of studies into the amount of waste produced in Tasmania or Australia generally. Information on disposal to landfill sites in Tasmania has been available for this SoE Report owing to a one-off survey commissioned by DPIWE and conducted by Nolan ITU (2001a).
   
• Approximately 489,000 tonnes/yr of waste is received at Tasmanian municipal landfills each year or 1.1 tonnes per person (Nolan 2001a).
   
• All materials that can be recycled are increasingly recycled by Tasmanians generally. The southern region produces the largest amount of waste to be landfilled. While the northern and north-western regions produce less waste per person than the southern region they recycle significantly less than the southern region.
   
• Many small landfill sites remain across Tasmania, particularly in the north-east and east. There are also a number of larger landfill sites operating in the south and north-west.
   
• The southern region produces a greater amount of waste in tonnes per person per year and is far more active in recycling materials. Different recycling rates may be due to a greater accessibility to areas to deposit recyclable material in the southern region, more active involvement in recycling in the southern region or a greater amount of material to be disposed of generally by the southern region.
   

Data

Three topics are considered in this section:

• solid waste generation;
• solid waste disposal; and
• solid waste diverted from the waste stream through recycling.

Solid waste generation

There are a limited number of studies into the amount of waste produced in Tasmania, or Australia generally. In 1985 the average production of waste material in Australia was 800 kg per capita (Waste and Resources Advisory Committee 1985). A survey conducted in 1989 estimated that councils in Australia collect an average of 370 kg of waste per person each year (ABS 1998). The ABS (2000) found that in 1996-97 21.2 million tonnes of solid waste was received and disposed of at landfills.

A survey was conducted by Dowson (1991) of 356 households in Greater Hobart. The average household waste generated for collection was 9.1 kg per week or 472.5 kg each year. The survey found that waste deposited for each year for kerbside disposal collection constituted the following. While the survey provides a useful baseline study, it is important that current studies are undertaken to better understand changes in the patterns of household waste generation in Tasmania.

Main components of material collected for kerbside collection

Refuse Type	Weight (kg)	Weight (%)	Volume (%)
Putrescibles	196.3	41.5	10.4
Paper	88.3	18.7	38.9
Glass	60.8	12.9	4.1
Miscellaneous	40.8	8.6	3.0
Plastics	34.5	7.9	31.1
Composite Material	26.8	5.7	6.0
Metals	25.0	5.3	6.5
Total	472.5	100.0	100.0

Source: Dowson 1991

Solid waste disposal

Information on waste received at Tasmanian municipal landfills each year should ideally be available routinely (preferably annually) rather than be reliant on infrequent survey work. A continued reduction in landfill sites with an accompanying improvement in performance monitoring and reporting would greatly assist in the provision of this information. This information is needed to make better decisions about solid waste management and landfill in Tasmania. The following data are available on waste disposal in Tasmania.

Approximately 489,000 tonnes/yr of waste is received at Tasmanian municipal landfills each year or 1.1 tonnes per person (Nolan 2001a). The map shows the material flows through transfer stations and landfill sites in Tasmania. There has been a reduction in the number of municipal landfill sites in Tasmania. In 1994, there were 99 licensed landfill sites and 42 waste transfer stations. By late 1995, the total number of landfills had reduced to 59. In 1999 solid waste in Tasmania was received at 43 municipal landfill sites, each serving an average of 12,000 people, and 65 transfer stations. A further reduction in the number of landfill sites is needed to improve environmental performance and reduce economic cost arising from duplications of infrastructure.

The tables show the average annual amount of solid waste in tonnes per person received in Tasmania by regions.

Waste Received at Tasmanian Municipal Landfill by type (tonnes per person per year)

Region	Total Material Received	Total Material Landfilled
Southern	1.306	1.203
Northern	0.990	0.964
North-Western	0.782	0.772
Statewide	1.096	1.036

Source: Nolan ITU 2001a

Type of waste received per year (tonnes per person per year)

Region	Municipal	Commercial and industrial waste	Construction and demolition waste	Green waste
Southern	0.500	0.286	0.299	0.152
Northern	0.403	0.229	0.231	0.131
North-Western	0.433	0.160	0.026	0.063
Statewide	0.457	0.241	0.217	0.126

Source: Nolan ITU 2001a

Solid waste diverted from the waste stream through recycling

There are important demographic influences on the economic viability and environmental benefits of recycling in Tasmania. Tasmania's relatively dispersed population and lower population densities are factors that influence economic viability and environmental benefits from recycling.

The quantity of waste diverted from transfer stations to landfill is uncertain due to the limited monitoring of material flows at the transfer stations. As shown in the table, recycled material consists of 0.06 tonnes per person and the remaining 1.036 tonnes per person goes to landfill. The southern region produces the greatest amount of waste per person in Tasmania. It is also responsible for the greatest contribution to recycling in Tasmania.

There has been a significant increase in the proportion of Tasmanian households that recycle, although participation in recycling remains slightly less than the national average. Kerbside recycling has strong community support in Tasmania. However, there is some evidence that it has a comparatively low environmental benefit relative to other States due to factors such as the distance between sorting facilities and reprocessing plants and participation and recovery rates for recycling (Nolan ITU 2001b).

Amount of Material Recycled each year in Tasmania (tonnes per person per year)

Region	Total Recycled
Southern	0.103
Northern	0.026
North-Western	0.011
Statewide	0.060

Source: Nolan ITU 2001a

As shown in the following table, Tasmania has a high degree of community acceptance and commitment to recycling with rates of household participation having increased consistently since ABS surveys commenced.

Proportion of households involved in recycling, Tasmania and Australia (%)

	Tasmania			Australia
	Mar-00	Mar-96	May-92	Mar-00	Mar-96	May-92
Paper	79.7	63.1	38.4	84.7	74.5	54.7
Glass	76.4	68.3	47.2	82.3	73.4	55.3
Cans	66.9	53.3	26.0	74.6	62.1	44.1
Plastic bottles	72.7	n.a.	n.a.	81.4	n.a.	n.a.
Plastic bags	82.7	n.a.	n.a.	82.6	n.a.	n.a.
Kitchen or food waste	60.1	55.8	46.4	50.1	44.9	35.6
Garden waste	63.4	55.0	53.6	60.4	50.8	47.3
Old clothing or rags	86.6	66.7	63.7	83.4	66.6	63.3
No recycling	4.7	10.0	19.0	3.2	9.4	15.3
All items recycled	7.2	5.1	n.a.	6.6	6.2	n.a.

Source: ABS 2000

Acknowledgment

Core Human Settlement Indicator HS 10 (ANZECC 2000)