Recycling and waste in Queensland report

Information about waste recovery, recycling and disposal in Queensland is collected through an annual waste data survey and monthly waste data returns from landfill operators.

You can find out more about what Queensland is doing to reduce waste to landfill and increase recycling at: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/waste-reduction-recycling

Key findings for 2024–25

• A total of 5.92 million tonnes of headline wastes were recovered, a 5.7% increase from 2023-24.
• The overall recovery rate increased by 0.7% from 57.1% in 2023-24 to 57.8% in 2024-25.
• The increase was largely driven by further improvements in recovery rates for commercial and industrial waste (0.7% increase) and construction and demolition waste (1.7% increase) compared to 2023-24.
• The recovery rate for municipal solid waste (including household waste) remain flat and has actually declined by a further 0.1% compared to 2023-24. Less than a third of household waste was recovered in 2024-25.
• Thirty-seven councils, up from 35 councils in 2023-24, provided a regular yellow bin lid kerbside collection service.
• Local governments sent 274,150 tonnes of paper and packaging for recovery.
• 80.0% of materials recovered were processed in Queensland.
• Approximately 208,000 tonnes of waste (including timber, green waste, food waste, sawmill residuals, tyres, paint, solvents, chemicals, mineral oil and oily water) were sent to energy recovery. This was a 117% increase compared to 2023-24.
• Approximately 1.41 million tonnes of household waste were picked up by weekly red lid bin council collections.
• A total of 4.33 million tonnes of headline wastes were landfilled, a 121,100 tonne increase from 2023-24.
• Over 57,400 tonnes of disaster waste were landfilled.
• The waste levy raised $459.9 million.
• Queensland received 3.8% less waste from interstate sources than 2023-24 (256,300 tonnes received) and 78.4% less than the 1.19 million tonnes received in 2018-19.

Headline wastes

• A total of 10.25 million tonnes of headline wastes (municipal (including household); commercial and industrial; and construction and demolition) were generated – an increase of 395,000 tonnes (4.5%) from 2023-24.
• The 4.5% increase in headline waste is set against the backdrop of Queensland’s population growth of 2.3% and economic growth of 2.4% during the same period.

• The increase was largely driven by further improvements in recovery rates for commercial and industrial waste (0.7% increase) and construction and demolition waste (1.7% increase) compared to 2023-24.
• The recovery rate for municipal solid waste (including household waste) recovery rates remain flat and has actually declined by a further 0.1% compared to 2023-24. Less than a third of household waste was recovered in 2024-25.

Resource recovery rate comparison

Resource recovery rates	2017–18 baseline	2023-24	2024-25	Change compared to last year	Change compared to 2017-18 baseline
Municipal solid waste	32.4%	28.3%	28.2%	-0.1%	-4.2%
Commercial and industrial	47.3%	55.1%	55.8%	+0.7%	+8.5%
Construction and demolition	50.9%	83.3%	85.0%	+1.7%	+34.1%
Overall	45.4%	57.1%	57.8%	+0.7%	+12.4%

Local governments

• Weekly red bin lid kerbside services collected approximately 1.41 million tonnes of domestic waste from 2.05 million households. This is a 29 kilogram (4.4%) increase per bin service and a 2.5 kilogram (0.98%) increase per capita from 2023-24.
• Thirty-seven councils, up from 35 councils in 2023-24, provided a regular yellow bin lid kerbside collection service for paper and packaging materials to 1.99 million households – a 2.9% increase from 2023-24.
• Councils sent 274,150 tonnes of paper and packaging for recovery. This is 6,206 tonnes less than the amount sent in 2023-24, or 5.0% less per bin service and4.4% less per capita compared to 2023-24.
• Eleven councils, the same as 2023-24, provided 680,198 Queensland households with a regular green waste (green bin lid) kerbside collection service – an increase of 153,257 households from 2023-24.
• Green bin lid services collected 183,982 tonnes of organic wastes, 40,231 tonnes greater than the amount collected in 2023-24. This is a 0.85% decrease per bin service and a 25.2% increase per capita from 2023-24.
• Local councils diverted 1,320,882 tonnes of headline wastes from disposal – 387,654 tonnes were recycled by local governments, with the remainder sent to the private sector for recovery.
• 13,603 tonnes of waste were diverted from landfill through the operation of ‘tip shops’, a decrease from 18,462 tonnes in 2023-24.
• 13,107 tonnes of litter and illegally dumped waste were cleaned up at an estimated cost of $20.0 million.

Private sector disposal

• Private sector waste facilities (landfills, monofills and incinerators) handled 47.4% of the headline wastes sent for disposal. Of the waste sent to disposal, private sector facilities reported:
  • 27.4% of the municipal solid waste
  • 59.8% of the commercial and industrial waste
  • 86.3% of the construction and demolition waste.

Materials recovered

• Approximately 1.40 million tonnes of concrete were recycled, which made up 27.3% of the headline wastes and 48.1% of construction and demolition waste recovered.
• Other substantial components of the construction and demolition waste stream included asphalt (approximately 352,000 tonnes), concrete washout (approximately 207,000 tonnes), bricks and pavers (approximately 49,000 tonnes) and fibre cement (approximately 85,000 tonnes).
• Over a million tonnes of metal were recovered, including approximately 925,000 tonnes of ferrous metal, approximately 63,000 tonnes of aluminium and approximately 81,000 tonnes of other non-ferrous metal.
• Close to 664,000 tonnes of segregated green waste were recovered, of which 72% was from domestic sources and the remainder from commercial sources. Of the amount recovered, 23% was collected from green lid bin services, 48% received from self-haul green waste (including disaster waste) and the remaining 28% received from commercial operators.
• Other organic materials processed included approximately 352,000 tonnes of timber, approximately 259,000 tonnes of sawmill residuals, approximately 193,000 tonnes of manure, approximately 116,000 tonnes of abattoir waste, approximately 296,000 tonnes of biosolids and approximately 86,000 tonnes of grease trap waste.
• Approximately 1.14 million tonnes of ash (23.2% of the 4.90 million tonnes reported) were recovered (an increase of 20,000 tonnes from 2023-24).
• Approximately 804,000 tonnes of paper and packaging materials were recovered. The main components included approximately 412,000 tonnes of cardboard, approximately 220,000 tonnes of paper, approximately 110,000 tonnes of packaging glass, approximately 36,000 tonnes of packaging plastic, approximately 16,000 tonnes of aluminium cans, approximately 9,500 tonnes of steel cans and approximately 740 tonnes of liquid paperboard.
• Approximately 208,000 tonnes of waste (including timber, green waste, food waste, sawmill residuals, tyres, paint, solvents, chemicals, mineral oil and oily water) were sent to energy recovery. This was a 117% increase compared to 2023-24.

Movement of wastes

• Of the materials recovered in 2024-25:
  • 80.0% were processed in Queensland
  • 4.7% of diverted materials were sent interstate for further processing
  • 15.3% of diverted materials were sent overseas for further processing.
• Materials that were predominantly recovered in Queensland include paper, glass, polystyrene plastics, concrete, concrete washout, asphalt, bricks and pavers, tiles and ceramics, aggregate, plasterboard, fibre cement, timber, green waste, sawmill residuals, agricultural residuals, manure, abattoir waste, cotton gin trash, waste food, food processing waste, vegetable oil, mineral oil, biosolids, grease trap waste & sludges, other putrescible waste, oily water, fly ash, bottom/other ash, drilling mud, foundry sand, paint solvents and chemicals, textiles and other rubber.
• Other materials that were diverted from landfill and predominately exported from Queensland include cardboard, PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP plastics, steel and aluminium cans, other ferrous metal, other aluminium, other nonferrous metals, and tyres.

Waste levy

As of 30 June 2025, there were 52 active landfill operators with a total of 96 sites within the levy zone. This included 78 landfills operated by 35 councils and 18 landfills run by 17 private operators.

For 2024-25, the total amount of annual payments to local councils was $168.4 million in line with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Regulation 2023. For the twelve metropolitan levy zone councils, payments were for 85% of the forecast levy liability on municipal solid waste. For regional levy zone councils, payments were for 100% of the forecast levy liability on municipal solid waste.

Types and amounts of waste on which the levy was paid to the state

Waste type	Amount (tonnes)
Municipal solid waste	1,980,700
Commercial and industrial waste	1,329,152
Construction and demolition waste	402,621
Earth contaminated with a hazardous contaminant from land recorded on the Environmental Management Register (EMR) or Contaminated Land Register (CLR)	49,443
Recycling activity residue waste with an approved waste levy discount	174,081
Category 1 regulated waste, other than: earth contaminated with a hazardous contaminant from land recorded on the EMR or CLR treated timber sawdust and shavings	60,991
Category 2 regulated waste, other than: earth contaminated with a hazardous contaminant from land recorded on the EMR or CLR treated timber sawdust and shavings	170,825

Waste with a general levy exemption includes disaster waste, lawfully managed and transported asbestos waste and dredge spoil. Waste with an approved levy exemption includes waste approved for operational purposes at landfills and waste received as part of charity donations that cannot practicably be re-used, recycled or sold.

Other matters

• 42 councils indicated that they had waste reduction and recycling plans.
• Under the Queensland Government’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011, State Entities are required to prepare three-year Waste Reduction and Recycling Plans (WRRPs) and report on progress on an annual basis to the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. 25 state entities reported against their waste reduction and recycling plan.
• There is one accredited product stewardship scheme in Queensland (Paintback – for unwanted paint and packaging) under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 (Waste Act).
• Queensland’s Waste Act also provides for a beverage container refund scheme, managed through Container Exchange Qld Limited.

Note: there are a range of other voluntary product stewardship schemes in place nationally (e.g. for batteries, oil, tyres, mattresses etc).

Annual waste data survey

The Recycling and Waste in Queensland report is largely informed by the Annual Waste Data Survey.

The survey captures data about waste generation, resource recovery, treatment and disposal in Queensland. This year’s data was derived from surveys submitted by 77 local councils and 368 reporting entities, including private landfill operators, recyclers, organic processors, waste transporters, operators of transfer stations, incinerators and industrial and mining monofils.

It also provides a range of government and industry stakeholders across the entire state with access to high quality, accurate waste data, while protecting survey respondent privacy and commercial confidentiality. Such data is critical to stakeholder planning and decision making at both the micro and macro level and ensures better productivity, with more likelihood of opportunities being identified and leveraged, and challenges managed.

See the glossary of terms used in recycling and waste report for further clarification.

Previous reports

• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2024
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2023
• Recycling and Waste in Queensland 2022
• Recycling and Waste in Queensland 2021
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2020 (PDF, 2.4MB)
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2019 (PDF, 6.6MB)
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2018 (PDF, 7.5MB)
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2017 (PDF, 7.5MB)
• Recycling and waste in Queensland 2016 (PDF, 8.1MB)