Application of Circular Economy towards Waste Management and Resource Recovery in Australia

In Australia, waste generation activities are commonly categorised into Municipal solid waste (MSW), Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste, and Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. In 2016-17, Australia generated an estimated 67 million tonnes (Mt) of waste including 17.1 Mt of masonry materials, 14.2 Mt of organics, 12.3 Mt of ash, 6.3 Mt of hazardous waste (mainly contaminated soil), 5.6 Mt of paper and cardboard and 5.5 Mt of metals. This is equivalent to 2.7 tonnes (t) per capita. In 2016-17, there was about 54 Mt of ‘core waste’ - that managed within the waste and resource recovery sector (2.2 t per capita). This comprised 13.8 Mt (560 kg per capita) of municipal solid waste (MSW) from households and local government activities, 20.4 Mt from the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector and 20.4 Mt from the construction and demolition (C&D) sector. The 2018 National Waste Policy provides a framework for collective action by businesses, governments, communities and individuals until 2030. The policy identifies five overarching principles underpinning waste management in a circular economy. These include: ㆍAvoid waste ㆍImprove resource recovery ㆍIncrease use of recycled material and build demand and markets for recycled products ㆍ Better manage material flows to benefit human health, the environment and the economy ㆍImprove information to support innovation, guide investment and enable informed consumer decisions (http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste/how-we-manage-waste/national-waste-policy) The measures to transition towards a circular economy are gaining considerable traction in Australia, in particular, post- China’s National Sword Policy. These measures include creation and diversification of recycling markets locally through product development and testing and procurement, education of consumers to reinforce the need for increased and better recycling, and their engagement to enable better outcomes, contamination reduction in recycled material to enable it to be used both locally and internationally in new markets, and investment in new technology to better sort and process recyclables. National activities such as National Food Waste Strategy (launched in 2017), National Product Stewardship Act 2011, which includes the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, and the National Packaging Covenant have fuelled the move towards circularity in waste management and resource recovery. At the State level, circular economy has been incorporated in their policies and strategies. In particular a number of States have recently implemented container deposit systems (South Australia in 1977, New South Wales in 2017, Queensland in 2018, and Western Australia in 2019). The New South Wales Circular Economy Policy Statement (2019), Recycling Victoria - A New Economy (2020), Supporting the Circular Economy- South Australia’s Waste Strategy 2020-2025, and Western Australia’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recover Strategy 2030 are some of the latest policy documents that have mainstreamed circular economy in waste management policies.