Recycling activity in South Australia 2019-20
Prepared by Rawtec for Green Industries SA. Based on a survey of 143 South Australian organisations that collect material for recycling. Published March 2021.
Summary published
This is the state’s annual count of what got recovered, what went to landfill and what it was worth. Rawtec runs the survey and compiles it for Green Industries SA.
2019-20 was the year of the summer bushfires and the first quarter of COVID-19. Both show up in the numbers.
South Australia still diverted 83.3% of its waste material from landfill, which was the highest rate in the country.
Overall diversion rate, down 0.5 points
Resource recovery, down 4.7%
Estimated market value
People employed, up from 1,850
What the survey found
Recovery fell, but so did landfill
Resource recovery came in at 4.13 million tonnes, down 4.7% on the year before. Landfill disposal fell too, to 0.83 million tonnes, down 1.5%. The diversion rate slipped from 83.8% to 83.3%, because recovery fell faster than disposal.
Three materials are 85% of the total
Masonry 1,255,000 tonnes (down 10%), soil 1,140,000 (down 6%) and organics 1,106,000 (up 6%). Then metals 278,000 (down 16%), cardboard and paper 194,000 (down 15%), glass 87,000 (up 18%), other materials 44,000 (up 61%) and plastics 30,000 (down 3%).
COVID-19 is visible material by material
Cardboard and paper fell 15% as business activity slowed and export opportunities closed, with the fibre price dropping from $165 to $109 a tonne. Metals fell 16% on slower industry activity plus one large regional job finishing. Masonry weakened on a decline in construction and demolition. Steel, going the other way, rose from about $330 to $400 a tonne.
The household bin is still the weak point
Municipal solid waste diversion was 51.6% statewide and 56.0% in metropolitan Adelaide, against a 2020 target of 70%. Commercial and industrial hit 89.4% and construction and demolition 88.7%. Kerbside recovery improved to 47.6% overall, 50.5% metropolitan and 37.7% regional.
Which state targets were met and which were not
Met: commercial and industrial diversion 92.4% against an 80% target, construction and demolition 90.6% against 90%, and a 49% cut in landfill excluding contaminated soil against a 35% target. Missed: metropolitan municipal diversion 56.0% against 70%, kerbside diversion 50.5% against 60%, and per capita waste generation down only 1.4% against a 5% reduction target.
Employment grew while revenue fell
Full-time equivalent employment rose from 1,638 to 1,691, and casual, part-time and contract work almost doubled from 212 to 407, for 2,098 people in total. Estimated annual revenue fell to $536 million. Total industry employment including indirect roles is put at around 4,800.
Reuse counted for the first time
The 2019-20 edition estimated South Australia reuses about 30,000 tonnes a year worth roughly $270 million: home furnishings around 14,000 tonnes, clothing 6,800, food products 5,300 and refurbished electronics 300. Second-hand items sold online are not included.
Food waste is the standing 150,000 tonne problem
Food waste continues to make up a significant share of what is left in kerbside general waste bins, estimated at around 150,000 tonnes a year. Energy recovery rose to 139,000 tonnes across refuse derived fuel, anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis.
How to read these numbers
The report is explicit that the headline rate stays high because large infrastructure projects divert very large volumes of masonry, and is expected to decline as those projects finish. It is not a measure of household behaviour.
The 2019-20 year included some of South Australia’s worst bushfires, generating roughly 50,000 tonnes across the affected regions.
Other states report different years using different methods. The report says to interpret cross-state comparisons with caution.
The employment figures cover surveyed organisations only and exclude indirect employment.
Related reports
The previous edition and the organics deep dive.
The full report includes every material stream, sector and council table plus the reporting accuracy estimates.
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