What are the underlying issues that make this chapter important?

  The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed a long-term trend, increasing household waste by 20% during 2020.47

  Each year, an estimated 1.5-3 million tonnes of waste is transported significant distances, dumped, stockpiled or mislabelled to reduce or avoid state levies.48

  Between 2006-2007 and 2018-2019, construction and demolition waste in Australia increased by 32% per capita.49

  Approximately 6.7 Mt of organics go to landfill each year, producing methane-heavy greenhouse gases as they decompose.50 Diverting organics from landfill will reduce both the significant proportion of waste that ends up in landfill and Australia's carbon emissions.