Abstract
Understanding the relationships between the Australian economic system and waste generation from intermediate sectors and households is a prerequisite for planning and implementing waste management strategies at a national scale. Data of waste generation accounts link to those of national economic accounts. However, in Australia, some years’ data are absent and so these links cannot be made. To rectify this data gap, this paper interpolates and extrapolates the Australian input-output table (IOT) of 2010–2011. Waste input-output (WIO) analysis is then used to assess the effects of the Australian economy on waste generation and treatment between 2009–2010 and 2010–2011. Analysis indicated that the result of interpolation was more reasonable than that of extrapolation, and the interpolation of the Australian IOT of 2010–2011 can be applicable. This comparative analysis of the time series data in WIO model has identified that: (1) per million $AUD of output of the Construction sector generated the most amount of direct and total waste during the period; (2) the relationships between the development of Australian economy and waste generation illustrate that the Australian economy is currently a traditional linear economy; (3) the effectiveness of waste-related policies are shown by the growth of the sums of direct and total effects of intermediate sectors on the Recovery sector; and (4) the amount of waste generated by households increased sharply over the two years. The physical flows of waste footprint show details of waste generation and treatment in the Australian economic system. The information provided in this paper is beneficial to formulate tailor-made policies for waste management in Australia.
Highlights
Waste is an inevitable by-product of economic activities
$AUD of output of the Construction sector generated the most amount of direct and total waste during the period; (2) the relationships between the development of Australian economy and waste generation illustrate that the Australian economy is currently a traditional linear economy; (3) the effectiveness of waste-related policies are shown by the growth of the sums of direct and total effects of intermediate sectors on the Recovery sector; and (4) the amount of waste generated by households increased sharply over the two years
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has estimated that waste generation in Australia has increased by 145% from 1997 to 2012 with the Gross Value Added rising by 64% and the population increasing by 22% [4]
Summary
Waste is an inevitable by-product of economic activities. The amount of waste generated is directly relevant to the economic situation of countries [1]. The quantity of waste grows with the increase of population and gross domestic product (GDP) This occurs in developing and developed countries [1,2,3]. The Australian government has published a series of policies for waste management, such as the National Waste Policy agreed upon in November 2009 [5] and the Environment Protection Regulations 2009 published on 1 July 2010 [6]. The former aims at producing less waste for disposal and treating waste as a resource from 2010 to 2020. The focus on waste generation and treatment is significant—to analyse how economic activities and environmental policies affect waste trends
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