Treatment of hazardous waste in Australia
Australia: Treatment of hazardous waste was 2.60 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Treatment of hazardous waste in Australia, 2007–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for treatment of hazardous waste in Australia is 2.60 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.0% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, treatment of hazardous waste in Australia peaked at 1.81 billion tonnes in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1.77 million tonnes, in 2009.
That places Australia 7th out of 72 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Treatment of hazardous waste in Australia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1.81 billion tonnes | — |
| 2009 | 1.77 million tonnes | -99.9% |
| 2010 | 1.99 million tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 2.20 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2014 | 2.49 million tonnes | +13.1% |
| 2015 | 2.19 million tonnes | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 2.07 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 2.21 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 2.63 million tonnes | +18.9% |
| 2019 | 2.77 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 2.88 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 2.87 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 2.74 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2023 | 2.60 million tonnes | -5.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 2.60 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 235,858 tonnes, 11.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Australia's 2.60 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.60 million tonnes, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Treatment of hazardous waste in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | -99.9% | 1.81 billion tonnes | 1.77 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 903.97 million tonnes | 1.77 million tonnes | 1.81 billion tonnes | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.32 million tonnes | 1.99 million tonnes | 2.77 million tonnes | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.77 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 2.88 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More environment data for Australia
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.98 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.345 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.6708 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0861 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is treatment of hazardous waste in Australia?
- Treatment of hazardous waste in Australia was 2.60 million tonnes in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest treatment of hazardous waste recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.81 billion tonnes in 2007.
- What is the lowest treatment of hazardous waste recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.77 million tonnes in 2009.
- How does Australia rank for treatment of hazardous waste?
- Australia ranks 7th out of 72 countries with data for 2023.
- Is treatment of hazardous waste rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Treatment of hazardous waste. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment (Tonnes).