Recycling Activity in South Australia 2018-19

South Australia's recycling performance in a quick snapshot. For more detail download this document.

• 83.8 per cent of all waste generated in South Australia was diverted from landfill. This equates to 4.34 million tonnes of material not going to waste.
• Since 2003, the recycling rate has improved by nearly 22 per cent and the resource recovery has increased from approximately 2 million tonnes to just over 4.3 million tonnes a year.
• The waste management, resource recovery and recycling sector employs approximately 4,800 South Australians (both directly and indirectly). 
• The market value of recovered resources in 2018-19 was $348 million dollars.
• South Australia leads the nation with the best recycling rate.
• South Australia has the best per capita resource recovery rate in the nation.
• Our diversion and recovery rate means 1.31 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are not being released, the same as planting 2 million trees; or taking 302,000 cars off the road each year