20 Australian Waste Statistics You Need To Know

  • Written by Auzzi Shopping

Australians produce a lot of rubbish. In fact, we generate around 66 million tonnes of waste every year. That’s enough to fill Sydney’s ANZ Stadium more than 160 times!

On average, each Australian generates 4.5 kilograms of rubbish per day. That’s a lot of waste!

Some of the most common items that Australians put in the rubbish bin include food scraps, plastic bags and bottles, cardboard boxes and newspapers.

Fortunately, many councils offer free bulk junk collection services to help residents dispose of their waste properly. These councils also work hard to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfills by implementing recycling and composting programs. 

There are also local rubbish removal companies that provide speedier junk collection services should you need your unwanted goods collected asap.

Without further ado, here are 20 Australian waste statistics that you need to know:

  1. Australians produce around 66 million tonnes of rubbish every year.
  2. On average, each Australian generates 4.5 kilograms of rubbish per day.
  3. The most common items that Australians put in the rubbish bin include food scraps, plastic bags and bottles, cardboard boxes and newspapers.
  4. Councils offer rubbish removal services to help residents dispose of their waste properly.
  5. Councils also work hard to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfills by implementing recycling and composting programs.
  6. Around 50% of the rubbish that Australians generate is sent to landfills each year.
  7. Recycling and composting can divert up to 80% of rubbish from landfills.
  8. The recycling and composting process turns rubbish into valuable resources like soil, water and energy.
  9. Councils receive financial support from the government to help fund their waste management programs.
  10. There are more than 1,100 waste facilities across Australia that accept recyclable materials.
  11. Australians recycle around 30% of their rubbish each year.
  12. The most common items that Australians recycle include paper, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and glass jars and bottles.
  13. There are around 600 recycling facilities in Australia that accept paper products.
  14. Australians recycle around 2 billion plastic bottles each year.
  15. There are around 190 recycling facilities in Australia that accept plastic bottles.
  16. Australians recycle around 1.5 billion aluminium cans each year.
  17. There are around 270 recycling facilities in Australia that accept aluminium cans.
  18. Australians recycle around 350 million glass jars and bottles each year.
  19. There are around 360 recycling facilities in Australia that accept glass jars and bottles.
  20. Recycling saves energy, resources and landfill space – it’s a win-win for the environment!