Targets

Almost two years on from a landmark pledge by state and federal environment ministers to take decisive action on packaging waste, Australia is still waiting for meaningful reform.

Waste in Australia (total generation and per capita) continues to grow, driving up GHG emissions and exhausting landfill space. To decouple waste generation from economic growth, Circular Economy is the key.

Packaging recycling in Australia has some way to go. Both in terms of meeting the national 2025 Waste Targets and in terms of reducing the use of dangerous chemicals and composite materials that pollute and hinder recycling. Government intervention was supposed to help. This has not happened yet.

NSW has some way to go to hit the 2030 National Waste Targets. To do so, it needs a lot of new waste infrastructure. Mike Ritchie takes a look at the types and number of facilities needed.

As 2024 comes to an end, Mike Ritchie reflects on the State of Waste in Australia, lays out some basic facts that everyone in the sector should be aware of, and puts forward a to do list for 2025.

In 2018 we set National Packaging Targets with a 2025 horizon. 2025 is upon us. How have we fared?

Isn’t it amazing that the media can so consistently fail to join the dots on climate change?

In contrast to most States, Tasmania could achieve the National Waste Targets by 2030

WA on track to lift recovery rates from 60% to 80% by 2030

In contrast to most States, the Northern Territory has reduced its waste to landfill over the past 15 years.

Based on the latest National Waste Action Plan report, SA leads recycling rates in Australia by a wide margin. 

In any given year, waste data is generally 2-3 years old and out of date. How will we assess whether we achieve the Targets in 2030?