Where does the recycling material come from?

Excluding tonnages received from imports where the source sector is unknown, just under half of the waste materials received for reprocessing during the 2008-09 financial year were sourced from the construction and demolition (C&D) sector (see Figure 10). The combined industry sectors (commercial and industrial and construction and demolition) accounts for 82% of the waste material received for reprocessing in Victoria, down one percentage point from last year's figure of 83%. Recovery through these two sectors continues to reflect the recognised gains to business of recycling, particularly where large, homogenous streams of waste materials are available such as concrete, steel and cardboard.

Sectors of secondary-use materials (by weight) received for reprocessing excluding imports, Victoria 2008-09

Victorian reprocessing and exports

During the 2008-09 financial year over 5.6 million tonnes of waste material recovered remained in Victoria to be reprocessed in Victorian plants. This represents an increase of 2% from the previous financial year of 5.5 million tonnes and accounts for 86% of all material recovered.

Waste material exported for reprocessing increased by 21% to almost 928,000 tonnes in 2008-09. This brings the amount exported for reprocessing close to that exported in 2005-06 (946,000 tonnes), the most exported since the survey started in 1999-00.

Material reprocessed in Victorian plants and exported overseas or interstate, Victoria 1999-00 to 2008-09

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