Environment and Resource Management

Human settlements: Solid waste management

Authors

Laurence Knight and Faiz Khan, Environmental Protection Agency

Reviewer

Don Wotton, Environmental Protection Agency

Key findings

Indicators and summary of status


Indicator

Status of indicator

Solid waste sent to landfill

Queensland councils sent an average of 2 million tonnes of waste a year to landfill during the period 2002-03 to 2004-05. []

Solid waste recovered or recycled

Queensland councils recycled an average of 7% of commercial and industrial wastes, 13% of domestic wastes, 26% of construction and demolition wastes, and 81% of green wastes during the period 2002-03 to 2004-05. []

Per capita trend in domestic waste recycling

The amount of domestic waste recycled by Queensland councils increased from 42 kg per capita to 50 kg per capita during the period 2002-03 to 2004-05. []


Importance

Queenslanders generate large volumes of waste in the course of their daily activities. Households generate domestic waste, businesses generate commercial and industrial waste, building activity results in the generation of construction and demolition waste, and coal-fired power stations produce mountains of fly ash.

Some of this waste is recovered via reuse or recycling, and the remainder is usually disposed of into landfills. Material that is not recovered is, in effect, a wasted resource and may cause environmental harm. Litter, for example, is unsightly, and can cause injury to both humans and wildlife, contaminate soil and water, or start a bushfire.

Landfilled waste takes up space, and can result in soil and water contamination and the generation of methane. While the process of incinerating waste reduces the amount of material that is sent to landfill (in the form of ash), it also has the potential to result in the emission of a range of air pollutants. There is also the potential for the accidental release of waste into the environment while it is being transported or held in storage.

A key problem with waste is its apparent negative economic value. The cost of waste management creates a motive for people and businesses to litter or illegally dump waste, leading to environmental harm. Consequently, it is important that society acts to minimise waste generation and to ensure that any waste that is produced is properly managed.

Pressure and condition

Waste generation

In 2004-05, Queensland households generated approximately 1.5 million tonnes of domestic waste (around 390 kg per capita). In comparison, electrical power generators produced well in excess of two million tonnes of fly ash, and the construction and demolition industry contributed a further 1.5 million tonnes of waste. The commercial and industrial and green and organic waste streams were of the order of one million tonnes each.

Although the amounts of domestic and green and organic wastes reported by local governments increased each year, the amounts of commercial and industrial and construction and demolition waste have fluctuated (Figure 9.13). The increasing trend in domestic waste generation is a reflection of both population growth-Queensland's population grew by 176 000 between 2002-03 and 2004-05 (ABS 2006)-and domestic consumption patterns. In contrast, changes in the volumes of the other waste streams reflect changes in economic activity, including housing and industrial developments.

A total of 1.5 million tonnes of trackable wastes (waste substances posing potential threats to the environment) was moved in 2005. This figure includes close to 60 000 tonnes of clinical and pharmaceutical wastes, and over 100 000 tonnes of chemicals (including solvents, pesticides and sludges).

The second National Litter Count carried out in May 2006 found that cigarette butts and plastic items respectively made up 52% and 20% of the litter stream by number, while paper and plastic products respectively made up 51% and 27% of the litter stream by volume (McGregor Tan Research 2006).


Figure 9.13 Waste streams reported by local governments
Source: EPA 2004, 2006a, 2006b

Waste management

In 2004-05, an estimated 1.35 million tonnes, or 341 kg per capita, of domestic waste was sent to landfill in Queensland. Approximately 197 000 tonnes of domestic waste, or 50 kg per capita, were recycled; this comprised 13.4% of the domestic waste stream. This represents a slight improvement since 2002-03, when 12.2% of the domestic waste stream was recycled.

Paper and glass are the main household materials recycled, making up 81% of the waste stream collected by councils in 2004-05 (Figure 9.14). While paper recycling rates increased steadily between 2002-03 and 2004-05, recycling rates for glass appear to be more variable, possibly because of difficulties associated with material contamination.

On a per capita basis, recycling rates for most household materials were highest in the more densely populated south-east corner of the state. Notable exceptions to this trend were aluminium cans (highest rates along the tropical coast) and cardboard (very high rates in the Fitzroy Statistical Division).

In the case of secondary resources, there were very low rates of recovery for commercial and industrial wastes, modest rates of recovery for construction and demolition wastes, and high rates of recovery for green and organic wastes (Figure 9.15). Between 2002-03 and 2004-05 recovery rates fell for commercial and industrial wastes, fluctuated for construction and demolition wastes, and grew strongly for green and organic wastes.

Rates of recovery for green and organic wastes were high across much of the state. Unlike most household materials that have to be transported to large centres for processing, green and organic wastes can be recycled locally, and are therefore recovered in many smaller and less accessible centres.


Figure 9.14 Recycling rates for household waste materials
Source: EPA 2004, 2006a, 2006b


Figure 9.15 Proportion of resource streams recovered by local governments
Source: EPA 2004, 2006a, 2006b

Response

The current approach to solid waste management is guided by the 1996 Queensland Waste Management Strategy. The focus of this strategy is on managing waste after it has been generated rather than minimising the amount generated. A targeted stakeholder review of this strategy highlighted the need to develop a new strategy incorporating waste avoidance and resource recovery activities.

Safe disposal

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers a waste-tracking system established under the Environmental Protection (Waste Management) Regulation 2000. Since its inception in 2001, the system has tracked specified wastes from the points of generation to the sites of treatment/disposal, both within Queensland and interstate. The implementation of the waste-tracking system has contributed to a decrease in illegal waste disposal, improved the EPA's response to waste transport accidents, and enhanced the EPA's knowledge of waste movement patterns.

The industry-run ChemClear program collects unwanted agricultural and veterinary chemicals for safe management and disposal. It is supported by funds raised by a levy on chemical containers and corporate contributions. At 31 December 2005, a total of 23 383 litres of chemicals had been registered for collection.

A number of local governments have used the national 'Don't Waste Australia' campaign sponsored by the Beverage Industry Environmental Council to develop their own litter management strategies. Among other things, these strategies aim to reduce litter generation by changing community attitudes towards waste management.

Recycling and reuse

The number of local governments reporting the collection of household waste materials for recycling increased from 63 councils in 2002-03 to 84 councils (responsible for 96.5% of the state's population) in 2004-05. Of those 84 councils, 94% provided drop-off collection points, while 61% provided kerbside collections (typically via wheeled garbage bins).

The industry-run drumMUSTER program collected close to 260 000 used agricultural and veterinary chemical containers for recycling, diverting 314 tonnes from landfill in 2005.

The EPA has developed an approval process for the beneficial use of regulated waste materials. Seven applications for beneficial waste use were made under Part 6A of the Waste Regulation between November 2002 and October 2005.

References

ABS 2006, Australian Demographic Statistics, June 2006, cat. no. 3101.0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra.

EPA 2004, The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2003, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane.

EPA 2006a, The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2004, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane.

EPA 2006b, The State of Waste and Recycling in Queensland 2005, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane.

McGregor Tan Research 2006, National Litter Index Queensland, Keep Australia Beautiful, Adelaide, viewed 19 June 2006, www.kab.org.au

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Last reviewed 16 May 2011
Last updated 13 February 2008

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