Figure 1 : Sources of waste , types of waste materials and fates of waste materials in Australia ( 2018-19 )
Source Material Fate
Sources : ABS Experimental Waste Account 2018-19 , NSW Circular analysis
Collective initiatives by households and local councils to reduce and recycle their food and garden waste will not only help reduce the 8 Mt of greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste in landfill annually , but also help create long run savings from the $ 600m paid by Australian households to manage their waste in 2018-19 .
Additionally , business incentives are important to drive circular outcomes that can only be achieved at the business level . The NSW Government ’ s business recycling program Circulate , for example , provides grants from $ 20,000 to $ 50,000 to businesses , not-for-profit organisations , local governments , and industry bodies to fund innovative , commercially oriented industrial ecology projects that will recover materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill . Since its inception , the program has contributed over $ 7.2 million of funding across 55 projects .
BUILDING BACK BETTER Further research is important to inform the development of new sustainable markets for recycled products , so that we can capitalise on these circular economy opportunities for sustainable growth .
As Australia rebuilds from the economic effects of the pandemic , there has never been a better time to focus on turning our waste problem into an opportunity for a stronger , more sustainable Australian economy .
REFERENCES
1 . Centre for International Economics , “ Headline Economic Value for Waste and Materials Efficiency in Australia ”, 2017 , prepared for the Department of the Environment and Energy .
2 . alphabeta , “ Building a strong green and circular economy for Sydney ” June 2019 , commissioned by the City of Sydney .
3 . ClimateWorks , Net Zero Momentum Tracker : Local Government Sector , Jan 2020
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DR KAR MEI TANG Dr Kar Mei Tang was appointed Chief Circular Economist with NSW Circular in 2020 , a body established by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer to fast-track NSW ’ s transition to the circular economy . Prior to this she was Executive Director , Circular Economy in the NSW Department of Planning , Industry and Environment and Environment Protection Authority , where she led circular economy policy , strategy and grants management functions . This followed several years as Director of Economic Policy in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet . Prior to joining the NSW public sector she was Head of Policy and Research with the Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association ( now Australian Investment Council ). Kar Mei has a PhD in Economics and is the current Chair of NSW Women in Economics Network , as well as a Council Member of the Economic Society of Australia ( NSW ).
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 14 NO 3 2021 11