- National Recycling Week celebrates 30 years this year from 9 to 15 November
- WA recycled 4.7 million tonnes in 2024-25, lifting the State's recycling rate to 62 per cent
- The Cook Labor Government is investing in major recycling infrastructure to turn more waste into valuable resources and local jobs
Western Australians are doing their bit as National Recycling Week celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Running from 9 to 15 November, the theme for National Recycling Week is "join the cycle" and Western Australia is doing just that by helping to recover valuable resources, support local jobs, and drive transition to a more circular economy through its recycling initiatives.
New data shows Western Australia recycled 4.7 million tonnes of material in 2024-25, achieving a statewide recycling rate of 62 per cent. This represents a significant improvement from 42 per cent in 2014-15.
Since its launch in 2020, Containers for Change has led to the return of more than 5.73 billion 10-cent containers, equivalent to more than $573 million in refunds, while generating over $22 million for charities, schools and community groups across the State.
The Cook Labor Government continues to invest in Western Australia's recycling infrastructure and innovation to ensure more materials can be recovered, reused and recycled.
This include $13 million to establish collection, transport and processing pathways for end-of-life solar panels to help recover valuable materials and prepare future growth in renewable energy waste streams, and a $16 million upgrade to Veolia's Bibra Lake facility to enable the processing of an additional 40,000 tonnes of mixed paper and cardboard each year.
Other recycling investments include increasing local processing capacity, such as new tyre recycling facilities at East Rockingham and Neerabup that can process more than 45,000 tonnes of tyres annually at each site.
As National Recycling Week marks three decades of encouraging better recycling habits, Western Australians can be proud of the progress being made to reduce waste, keep valuable resources in circulation and build a cleaner, more sustainable future.
As stated by the Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn:
"Thirty years after National Recycling Week began, recycling is no longer just about keeping waste out of landfill. It is about creating value from materials that would otherwise be thrown away, supporting local jobs and building a stronger circular economy.
"The Cook Labor Government is backing community action with significant investment in recycling infrastructure, helping ensure more materials can be processed here in Western Australia and turned into resources for new products and industries.
"National Recycling Week is an opportunity to celebrate the contribution Western Australians make every day to reducing waste and recovering valuable resources.
"I encourage everyone to keep reducing, reusing and recycling because every action contributes to a cleaner environment and a more sustainable future for our State."
