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.