Waste management and Tasmanian councils
The Tasmanian Government is at a crossroads as local councils, and the community have been calling for state leadership and action on waste for several years.
While our state lags behind most other jurisdictions in resource recovery, there is a significant opportunity for our state to adopt a circular economy. However, we need a clear framework and specific plans for how our state will unlock waste as a resource, so that we can create jobs in new industries and reduce landfill.
Did you know?
Resource recovery
Tasmania's resource recovery rate is 53%, compared with the national average of 62% and South Australia’s at 82%
Job generation
For every 10,000 tonnes of waste that are recycled there are 9.2 jobs generated, compared with just 2.8 for landfill disposal.
Circular economy
KPMG estimates that a transition to a circular economy for food, transport and the built environment would result in an economic benefit of $23 billion by 2025.
How LGAT advocates for Tasmanian councils
We are leading councils to consider waste issues at a strategic state-wide level. Local government, industry and the community are beginning to forge a pathway forward on waste and recovery.
- A Waste and Resource Management Strategy (2017) [PDF}
- A Feasibility Study into a Statewide Waste Arrangement (2019) [PDF].
This work has lead us to successfully advocate for:
- A statewide waste levy
- A container refund scheme
- A raft of other commitments in the State Government’s Draft Waste Action Plan
- The development of a Circular Economy Plan for Tasmania.