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 2007-08 financial year were sourced from the construction and demolition (C&D) sector. The combined industry sector (commercial and industrial and construction and demolition) accounts for 83% of the waste materials received for reprocessing in Victoria. Up one percentage point from last year's figure of 82%, this continues the growth trend, and reflects 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 2007-08

Victorian reprocessing and exports

The survey results enable comparison between the quantity of waste material recovered for reprocessing locally in Victorian plants and that exported interstate or overseas for reprocessing. While exporting waste materials for reprocessing overseas has been a growing industry in the past, Victoria's current resource reprocessing capacity is predominantly local. The key waste materials exported are scrap metals, wastepaper and plastics. These materials are globally traded commodities used in recycling operations worldwide.

For the 2007-08 financial year, over 5.5 million tonnes of waste material recovered remained in Victoria to be reprocessed in Victorian plants. This represents a decrease of 3% from the previous financial year and accounts for 88% of all material recovered.

Waste material exported for reprocessing experienced an increase of 15% in 2007-08 after suffering a decrease of 29% in the previous year.

Material reprocessed in Victorian plants and exported overseas or interstate, Victoria 1997-98 to 2007-08

Top | Last updated 27/08/2009