Municipal waste recycled in Australia
Australia: Municipal waste recycled was 2.35 million tonnes in 2023. βΌ Falling
Municipal waste recycled in Australia, 2003β2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal waste recycled in Australia is 2.35 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in Australia peaked at 4.31 million tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.28 million tonnes, in 2021.
Australia ranks 19th of 84 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.17 million tonnes | 2.70 million tonnes | 4.02 million tonnes | 4 |
| 2010s | 3.37 million tonnes | 2.68 million tonnes | 4.31 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.45 million tonnes | 2.28 million tonnes | 2.77 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Standard Deviation 0.345 Β°C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 Β°C (2025)
- Recovered paper β Production 2.63 million t (2024)
- Total fibre furnish β Production 3.61 million t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified β Import value 51,999 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified β Import quantity 4,000 t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Export value 450,829 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Export quantity 806,085 t (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Import value 587,995 1000 USD (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard β Import quantity 484,839 t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycled in Australia?
- Municipal waste recycled in Australia was 2.35 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.31 million tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.28 million tonnes in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for municipal waste recycled?
- Australia ranks 19th out of 84 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 18 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).