Plastic Waste in Australia 

 

14 

down”.

72

  These results mirror that of global plastic recovery. Only 9% of global plastic waste 

was recycled in 2019, a figure expected to rise to just 17% by 2060.

73

 

Figure 5: Recovery rate of plastic waste in Australia 2000 to 2020

–

21 (%) 

 

Source: 

Australian Plastic Flows and Fates Study 2020-21 (2022)

74

 

Notably, this figure includes not only plastic waste that is recovered domestically, but also 
that which is exported for processing in other countries. The percentage of total recovered 
waste that is exported has been trending down 

–

 from a high of 55% in 2011

–

12, to 43% in 

2020

–

21.

75

 Regardless of this trend, the amount of plastic waste exported still remains very 

high. Although the Australian Government introduced a ban on exporting plastic waste in 
July 2021,

76

 in 2023 the government approved the export of 20,000 tonnes of plastic 

because of our limited domestic recycling capacity.

77

 

This suggests that the policy is a ‘ban’ 

 

72

 Ibid.

 

 

73

 OECD (2019) 

The current plastics lifecycle is far from circular, 

https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/plastics-lifecycle-is-far-from-circular.htm 

74

 DCCEEW (2022) 

Australian Plastics Flows and Fates Study 2020-21, 

p 2-3 

75

 DCCEEW (2022) 

Australian Plastics Flows and Fates Study 2020

–

21, 

pp 24

–

25 

76

 The Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, 

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6573 

77

 Elks (2023) 

‘

Australia to export 20,000 tonnes of plastic, instead of recycling onshore

’

, 

The Australian,

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australia-to-export-20000-tonnes-of-plastic-instead-of-
recycling-onshore/news-story/161100aafbd99e80172bb6ff9801f25d 

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

(% not exported)

(% exported)