South Australia's Recycling Activity in 2016-17

• 83.4 per cent of all waste generated in South Australia was diverted from landfill. This equates to 4.40 million tonnes of material not going to waste.
• Since 2003, the recycling rate has improved by nearly 22 per cent and the resource recovery has increased from approximately 2 million tonnes to just over 4.4 million tonnes a year.
• The waste management, resource recovery and recycling sector employs approximately 4,800 South Australians (both directly and indirectly).
• The market value of recovered resources in 2016-17 was $320 million dollars.
• South Australia leads the nation with the best recycling rate.
• South Australia has the best per capita resource recovery rate in the nation.
• Our diversion and recovery rate means:
• 1.25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are not being released, the same as:
• planting 1.9 million trees; or
• taking 288,500 cars off the road each year
• saving 16,030 Terajoules of energy, equivalent to:
• the average energy use by 269,500 households;
• 2.8 million barrels of oil; or
• 4.8 per cent of that total State energy consumption reported for 2016-17.
• saving 13,100 Megalitres of water, equal to:
• 5,200 Olympic sized swimming pools;
• the water used by 79,100 average Adelaide households in one year; or
• 6 per cent of Metropolitan Adelaide's total water consumption in 2016-17.

Recycling activity in South Australia 2005-06 (1947 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2006-07 (1029 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2007-08 (1019 KB)

Recycling activity in South Australia 2008-09 (664 KB)

Recycling activity in South Australia 2009-10 (1374 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2010-11 (1705 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2011-12 (2049 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2012-13 (2712 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2013-14 (3017 KB)

Recycling Activity in South Australia 2015-16 (4029 KB)