South Australia's Recycling Activity in 2015-16
- 81.5 per cent of all waste generated in South Australia was diverted from landfill. This equates to 3.91 million tonnes of material not going to waste.
- Since 2003, the recycling rate has improved by 20 per cent and the resource recovery has doubled.
- 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 2015-16 was $203 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:
- 1.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are not being released, the same as:
- planting 1.8 million trees; or
- taking 271,900 cars off the road each year
- saving 15,130 Terajoules of energy, equivalent to:
- the average energy use by 294,400 households;
- 2.7 million barrels of oil; or
- 4.6 per cent of that total State energy consumption in 2014-15.
- saving 12,720 Megalitres of water, equal to:
- 5,090 Olympic sized swimming pools;
- the water used by 66,940 average Adelaide households in one year; or
- 6 per cent of Metropolitan Adelaide's total water consumption.
Recycling Activity in South Australia 2015-16 (4029 KB)
Recycling Activity in South Australia 2015-16: INFOGRAPHIC (3633 KB)