South Australia recorded Australia's highest commercial waste recovery rate in 2022–23, recovering 73.7 per cent of business waste, according to an analysis of national waste data by regulatory and compliance provider Intertek Inform.
Drawing on the Australian National Waste and Resource Recovery Database, the analysis found Australian businesses generate an average of 8,748kg of waste per operating business each year and recover 59.5 per cent of that material through recycling, energy recovery or reuse.
South Australia's commercial recovery rate was well above the national average, while the Northern Territory recorded the lowest at 38.2 per cent.
The Northern Territory also generated the second-highest volume of commercial waste per business, at 14,238kg annually, behind Tasmania at 15,236kg. Victoria recorded the lowest commercial waste generation, at 6,531kg per business.
For public waste, the Australian Capital Territory recorded the highest recovery rate, recovering 81.4 per cent of waste generated by households and the community. Victoria (63.2 per cent) and South Australia (61.2 per cent) were the next strongest performers.
Western Australia (36.2 per cent), Queensland (37.2 per cent) and the Northern Territory (39.2 per cent) recorded the lowest public waste recovery rates, compared with the national average of 51.9 per cent.
The analysis also found Australians generate an average of 506kg of public waste per person each year. The ACT recorded the highest per capita generation at 671kg, while the Northern Territory generated the least at 381kg per person.
Intertek Inform said the Northern Territory was the only jurisdiction to rank among the three lowest-performing regions for both commercial and public waste recovery.
