Kerbside Waste Performance: State and regional report 2021–22

This report presents data on a statewide kerbside waste and recycling collection services in South Australia and the 49 regional councils in the 2021–22 financial year. It compliments an earlier report covering Metropolitan Adelaide for the same time period which is available on the Green Industries SA website. This report analyses performance and improvements in council waste management efficiency and sustainability across the state over the past 18 years.

The focus is only on waste material collected at kerbside in bins provided specifically for residual waste (landfill), co-mingled recyclables and organics (green and/or food). Hard waste, street sweepings, Container Deposit Scheme returns and waste collected at drop-off facilities and council-operated commercial services are excluded from the main report.

All 49 regional councils offer a one-bin system at a minimum and more have extended their services to include recycling and organic bins. Approximately half offer a three-bin system, including many where these services are provided to townships only. One regional council offered a fourth bin for paper and cardboard only but has ceased this provision since September 2022. There are also differences between councils in terms of bin ownership, full versus optional adoption of bin types, and collection frequency may differ between town and other areas.