Our Waste Challenges

Now, more than ever, it’s time to Step Up and support solutions which move us towards a circular economy – where everything is a resource, and there is no such thing as waste.

Australia has a plastics problem. We now produce 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, equating to 100 kg per person. Of this, only around 13% of plastic is recovered and 84% is sent to landfill.

More concerningly, around 130,000 tonnes of the plastic we consume leaks into the marine environment each year. By 2025 it is predicted that 99% of seabirds worldwide will have ingested plastic.



In partnership with Cleanaway, Clean Up Australia is tackling key waste issues that our community has identified as problematic for them. In 2021 these included the national adoption for a container refund scheme, tips and hints to improve recycling behaviour, the call for national bin harmonisation and adoption of food waste solutions.