There has been an increase in the recovery rate for municipal waste since 1995. In this regard, the Environmental Protection Agency's national waste database report for 1998 states that the national recovery rate for the combined household and commercial waste stream in 1998 was estimated at 9% compared to 7.8% in 1995. The increase in recovery activity has been predominantly in the commercial sector, where the recovery rate has increased from 15.3% in 1995 to 18.7% in 1998.
In real terms, the total quantity of municipal waste which was recovered increased from about 118,000 tonnes in 1995 to almost 167,000 tonnes in 1998, an increase of 42% over the three year period. However, this was accompanied by a significant increase in overall municipal waste arisings.
The EPA cautions that care must be taken in making comparisons between 1998 data and those in the preceding report for 1995. Nevertheless, broadly speaking, the findings of the national waste database report for 1998 point to increasing waste generation, limited waste management infrastructure and considerable scope for improved recycling and recovery of waste. The findings also reinforce the need for concerted action to prevent and minimise waste generation and put waste management on a modern footing.
The report clearly underlines the challenge inherent in meeting the Government's targets for the recovery and disposal of waste, as set out in the policy statement, Changing our Ways, and the importance of adopting and vigorously implementing the local and regional waste management plans that are currently being finalised. These plans provide for practical measures to minimise municipal and industrial waste generation, as well as the development of improved waste services and an integrated waste management infrastructure to meet our waste recovery targets. I am confident they will lay a solid foundation for sustained improvement in our waste management performance.