Local Government Waste Data Survey 2023–24
The annual Local Government Waste Data Survey collects data from all 128 NSW councils on domestic, public and street waste.
Data is collected on demographics, types of services offered and operational factors. The survey is intended for use by the waste and recycling industry, all levels of government and the NSW EPA.
This page replaces the previous PDF report and provides an overview of the current reference period. For more detailed information by council please see Appendix A: Local Government Waste Data Survey 2023 24 Results (XLSX 250KB).
The data should be used in conjunction with the Local Government Waste Data Survey Data Quality Statement.
Key findings
In the 2023–24 financial year, NSW councils collected 4,253,992 tonnes of municipal waste, a 5% increase from the previous year. Of this, 1,757,197 tonnes were reported as recycled.
Access to Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) services is increasing, with more councils offering kerbside organic bin services and some councils transitioning from garden organic bins to FOGO bins.
The amount of material recycled, and the estimated recycling rates, vary by council. This is due to the different operating environments of individual councils including resources and services available.
Overall, the proportion of material recycled decreased. This was because of a change in how Mixed Waste Organic Outputs are reported to reflect that this material is primarily landfilled. Following this correction the proportion of material recycled is expected to increase again over time with the continued rollout of organics services and diversion of organic material from garbage (red) bins to organics (green) bins. Refer to the Data Quality Statement Alternative waste treatment for more information.
Total municipal waste
Municipal waste refers to all domestic waste as well as street and public waste from council operations.
Councils in the Metropolitan Levy Area (MLA) collected 66% of all municipal waste followed by 19% in the Non-levied Area (NLA) and 16% in the Regional Levy Area (RLA). Of the material collected the RLA reported recycling 47% followed by the MLA at 41% and NLA at 38%.
The main source of waste was kerbside garbage (red) bins (40%). This was followed by:
- domestic drop off (18%)
- kerbside organic (green) bins (17%)
- commingled kerbside recycling (yellow) bins (12%)
- bulky waste pickup (5%)
- street and public waste (4%)
- containers collected from the Return and Earn network (3%)*
- other kerbside bins (<1%)
The most recycled source was containers collected from the Return and Earn network followed by other (predominantly paper only), organic (green) and commingled recycling (yellow) kerbside bins.
*Tonnes of containers collected from the Return and Earn network of reverse vending machines, reverse vending centres, automated depots, over the counter sites and donation stations. Refer to the Data Quality Statement Container deposit scheme for more information.
Municipal waste collected per person and household
Each person in NSW generated an average of 0.5 tonnes of municipal waste. This included an average of 0.2 tonnes recycled and 0.3 tonnes disposed per person. Per person, the MLA generated 0.4 tonnes, compared to 0.8 tonnes in both RLA and NLA.
Households in NSW generated an average of 1.3 tonnes of municipal waste. This included an average of 0.5 tonnes recycled and 0.7 tonnes disposed per household.
Total kerbside bin waste
Kerbside bin waste refers to all kerbside bins.
Local councils collected a total of 2,955,813 tonnes of kerbside bin waste, with 40% recycled. The MLA contributed 76% of this waste, followed by the RLA with 11% and NLA with 12%.
- Red bins (garbage): 58% of total kerbside bin waste
- Green bins: 24% of total kerbside bin waste
- Yellow bins: 18% of total kerbside bin waste
There were high rates of recycling reported for both the yellow and green bins:
- Yellow bins: 88% statewide (MLA: 89%, RLA: 78%, NLA: 87%)
- Green bins: 95% statewide (MLA: 98%, RLA: 85%, NLA: 94%)
A total of 712,677 tonnes of organic waste was collected from kerbside organics bins, with 44% of total kerbside bin organics coming from FOGO services.
Access to services
Most residents in NSW have access to kerbside bin services: 94% for red bins and 92% for yellow bins, with the highest access in MLA, followed by RLA and NLA.
Kerbside organics services were available to 72% of households in NSW:
- 41% had a garden organics bin
- 31% had a FOGO bin.
More MLA households had a garden organics bin, while more RLA and NLA households had FOGO bins.
50 councils offered a FOGO service, and 42 councils offered a garden organics service in 2023–24. The number of councils offering FOGO services is expected to grow after the NSW Government passed the Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment (FOGO Recycling) Bill 2024 which requires all councils that offer a residual waste collection to have a source-separated collection of FOGO by 1 July 2030.
Councils also allowed other waste disposal including 114 councils providing drop off at waste facilities, with 23 offering free disposal vouchers.
Natural disasters
In the 2023–24 reference period, the EPA introduced questions regarding disaster waste and resilience to begin building an evidence base to assist with future resilience and planning.
- 16 councils reported experiencing a declared natural disaster, disposing a total of 7,876 tonnes of disaster waste.
- 30 councils have a natural disaster plan in place
- 60 councils have some capacity to dispose of natural disaster waste.
Data on disaster impacts is not included in the appendix, as the waste is primarily construction and demolition waste and the questions were included on a trial basis.
Soft plastics
As part of the most recent Survey, councils were asked if they collected soft plastics for recycling. While specific tonnes were out of scope, 27 councils confirmed they collect soft plastics:
- MLA: 18 councils
- RLA: 2 councils
- NLA: 7 councils
Additionally, 16 councils plan to start some form of soft plastic recycling within 24 months:
- MLA: 5 councils
- RLA: 3 councils
- NLA: 8 councils
Appendix A
Appendix A: Local Government Waste Data Survey 2023 24 Results (XLSX 250KB)