REPORT PRODUCED FOR:
Sustainability Victoria
Victorian Statewide
Garbage Bin Audits:
Food, Household Chemicals
and Recyclables
2013
EC Sustainable Pty Ltd
ACN: 163 386 061 ABN: 87163 386 061
NSW
Vic
Head Office
State Office
Suites 701-703, 107 Walker Street,
Suite 28, 458 St Kilda Road
NORTH SYDNEY, NSW 2060.
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA 3004.
Phone (02) 9922 3456, Fax (02) 9929 2252
Email: info@ecsustainable.com or kevin@ecsustainable.com
EC Sustainable Reference: 2110-13
Project undertaken by EC Sustainable Environment Consultants for Sustainability Victoria
Acknowledgements
The waste departments of the participating Victorian councils for supplying sorting sites and collection vehicles.
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in the UK for assisting with food background research and food categorisation
processes
Metropolitan Waste Management Group (MWMG) for assisting with Get It Right on Bin Night background research and kerbside
recycling material categorisation processes.
Victorian Statewide Garbage Bin Audits: Food, Household Chemicals and Recyclables
© Sustainability Victoria 2014
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually
correct, Sustainability Victoria gives no warranty regarding its accuracy, completeness, currency or
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or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the content of this publication. This publication is
provided on the basis that all persons accessing it undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and
accuracy of its content.
Victorian Statewide Garbage Bin Audits: Food, Household Chemicals and Recyclables should be attributed
to Sustainability Victoria
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Sustainability Victoria Statewide Bin Audits Report 2013
Table of Contents
Executive summary ......................................................................................................... 1
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 4
1.1
1.2
1.3
2
Rationale .................................................................................................................... 5
2.1
2.2
2.3
3
Overview ........................................................................................................................ 4
Audit purpose and objectives .......................................................................................... 4
Document structure ........................................................................................................ 4
Food waste ..................................................................................................................... 5
Household chemicals ...................................................................................................... 6
Recyclables .................................................................................................................... 7
Project method .......................................................................................................... 7
3.1
3.2
3.3
Guidelines....................................................................................................................... 7
Audit structure ................................................................................................................ 8
Sampling ........................................................................................................................ 8
3.3.1
3.3.2
3.3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
4
5
General .................................................................................................................................... 8
Size .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Demographics.......................................................................................................................... 9
Visual bin surveys ........................................................................................................... 9
Material collection ......................................................................................................... 10
Sorting categories ......................................................................................................... 10
Data verification and accuracy ...................................................................................... 10
Extrapolation of Victoria data ........................................................................................ 10
Limitations ............................................................................................................... 14
Results ..................................................................................................................... 14
5.1
Generation rate overview .............................................................................................. 14
5.1.1
5.1.2
5.2
Food waste in the garbage stream................................................................................ 17
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
5.2.5
5.2.6
5.2.7
5.3
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 17
Food waste composition ........................................................................................................ 19
Avoidable food waste ............................................................................................................ 22
Unavoidable food waste ........................................................................................................ 24
Possibly avoidable food waste .............................................................................................. 25
Food in unopened packets and containers ........................................................................... 25
Drinks..................................................................................................................................... 30
Household chemicals in the garbage stream ................................................................ 31
5.3.1
5.3.2
5.3.3
5.4
Key categories by weight and volume ................................................................................... 14
Key categories by percentage ............................................................................................... 15
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 31
Household chemicals waste composition .............................................................................. 31
Item count .............................................................................................................................. 38
Recyclables in the garbage stream ............................................................................... 42
5.4.1
5.4.2
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 42
Detailed composition ............................................................................................................. 45
6 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 49
7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 53
Glossary ......................................................................................................................... 54
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 55
Appendix 1 – Audit Photos ........................................................................................... 56
Appendix 2 – Household chemicals by weight ........................................................... 61
Sustainability Victoria Statewide Bin Audits Report 2013
List of Tables
Table 1 -
Definitions of food (and drink) waste ............................................................................ 6
Table 2 -
Sorting categories – food waste ................................................................................. 11
Table 3 -
Sorting categories – household chemicals ................................................................. 12
Table 4 -
Sorting categories – recyclables ................................................................................. 13
Table 5 -
Garbage bin composition by weight per household, Victoria, 2013 ............................. 15
Table 6 -
Garbage bin composition by weight per person, Victoria, 2013 .................................. 15
Table 7 -
Garbage bin composition by volume per household, Victoria, 2013............................ 15
Table 8 -
Food waste composition by proportion, Victoria, 2013................................................ 17
Table 9 -
Food waste composition per household by volume, Victoria, 2013 ............................. 18
Table 10 -
Food waste composition by weight and percentage, Victoria, 2013 ........................ 19
Table 11 -
Food waste composition per household by volume, Victoria, 2013 ......................... 21
Table 12 -
Avoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013 .................................................. 22
Table 13 -
Unavoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013 .............................................. 24
Table 14 -
Weight of food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013 ........................................... 26
Table 15 -
Percentage of food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013 .................................... 26
Table 16 -
Food removed from unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013 ....................................... 27
Table 17 -
Composition of unopened packaging that contained food, Victoria, 2013 ............... 29
Table 18 -
Household chemicals waste by weight, Victoria, 2013 ............................................ 31
Table 19 -
Household chemicals waste per household by volume, Victoria ............................. 31
Table 20 -
Household chemicals waste composition by weight, Victoria, 2013 ........................ 34
Table 21 -
Household chemicals waste composition by volume, Victoria, 2013 ....................... 37
Table 22 -
Household chemicals waste item count, Victoria, 2013 ........................................... 41
Table 23 -
Garbage composition by key categories per household, Victoria, 2013 .................. 43
Table 24 -
Garbage composition by key categories per person, Victoria, 2013 ........................ 43
Table 25 -
Garbage stream composition, Victoria, 2013 .......................................................... 47
Table 26 -
Garbage stream comparison in 2012 and 2013 pre metro ...................................... 47
Table 27 -
Household chemicals by weight, Victoria, 2013 ...................................................... 61
List of Figures
Figure 1 -
Definitions of food (and drink) waste ......................................................................... 6
Figure 2 -
Waste and recycling audit process ........................................................................... 8
Figure 3 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, Victoria 2013 .......................... 16
Figure 4 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, metropolitan 2013................... 16
Sustainability Victoria Statewide Bin Audits Report 2013
Figure 5 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, non-metropolitan 2013............ 17
Figure 6 -
Food generation kg/household/week, Victoria, 2013 ............................................... 18
Figure 7 -
Food generation kg/household/week, metropolitan, 2013 ....................................... 18
Figure 8 -
Food generation kg/household/week, non-metropolitan, 2013 ................................ 18
Figure 9 -
Food waste composition by percentage, Victoria, 2011 .......................................... 20
Figure 10 -
Avoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013 .................................................. 23
Figure 11 -
Unavoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013 .............................................. 24
Figure 12 -
Unavoidable food (tea bags and skins) ................................................................... 25
Figure 13 -
Possibly avoidable food .......................................................................................... 25
Figure 14 -
Food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013 .......................................................... 28
Figure 15 -
Composition of unopened packaging that contained food ....................................... 29
Figure 16 -
Containerised food.................................................................................................. 30
Figure 17 -
Drink waste ............................................................................................................. 30
Figure 18 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Victoria, 2013 ............................ 32
Figure 19 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Metropolitan, 2013 .................... 33
Figure 20 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Non-metropolitan, 2013 ............ 33
Figure 21 -
Household chemicals waste composition by weight ................................................ 36
Figure 22 -
Household chemicals waste composition by count ................................................. 40
Figure 23 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Victoria, 2013 ......................... 43
Figure 24 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Metropolitan, 2013 ................. 44
Figure 25 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Non-metropolitan, 2013.......... 44
Figure 26 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Victoria, 2013.............................. 45
Figure 27 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Metropolitan, 2013 ...................... 46
Figure 28 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Non-metropolitan, 2013 .............. 46
Figure 29 -
Garbage stream composition, Victoria, 2013 .......................................................... 48
Photos of avoidable food ............................................................................................................. 56
Photos of unavoidable food.......................................................................................................... 57
Photos of possibly avoidable food ................................................................................................ 57
Photos of drinks ........................................................................................................................... 58
Photos of chemical household materials ...................................................................................... 59
Photos of other household materials ............................................................................................ 60
Sustainability Victoria Statewide Bin Audits Report 2013
Executive summary
Sustainability Victoria engaged EC Sustainable to conduct audits of kerbside household waste and recycling
bins throughout Victoria. The audits were conducted to provide information about the amount of:

food waste in garbage bins.

household chemicals in garbage bins.

recyclables in garbage and recycling bins.
The audits were conducted with eight councils, which comprised four metropolitan and four nonmetropolitan councils. A sample of 200 households was audited for garbage bins for each council and 200
recycling bins in the four non-metropolitan areas. The report presents metropolitan, non-metropolitan and
statewide results.
This report focuses on the results of the food waste and household chemicals audited in garbage bins.
While there is a brief overview of recyclables in the garbage stream, the findings of these audits will be
combined with audits undertaken in 2012 in metropolitan Melbourne in a separate report.
For the purposes of this report “metropolitan” means Melbourne and “non-metropolitan” means the rest of
Victoria including urban areas.
Sustainability Victoria commissioned the audits to obtain baseline data and inform program development for
three projects:

Improving household recycling practices

Priority Product Intervention

Food waste avoidance.
The objectives of the audits were to measure target materials by weight and by volume:

per household

per resident

by proportion.
The key results are shown in the following table.
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Key results
Key statistics
Garbage bin
Food waste
Food in unopened packets
Household chemicals
Recyclables
Other Material
Unit of measurement
Result
Mean weight (kg) per household per week, Victoria
9.70
Mean weight (kg) per person per week, Victoria
4.00
Mean volume (L) per household per week, Victoria
28.41
Mean weight (kg) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
3.43
Mean weight (kg) per person per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
1.42
Percentage (%) in the garbage bin, Victoria
35.6
Mean volume (L) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
7.81
Percentage (%) in the garbage bin, Victoria
1.7
Mean weight (kg) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
0.19
Mean weight (kg) per person per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
0.08
Percentage (%) in the garbage bin, Victoria
2.0
Mean volume (L) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
0.86
Item count per household per year in the garbage
bin, Victoria
32.5
Mean weight (kg) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
1.05
Mean weight (kg) per person per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
0.43
Percentage (%) in the garbage bin, Victoria
10.8
Mean volume (L) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
4.46
Mean weight (kg) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
5.02
Mean weight (kg) per person per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
2.07
Percentage (%) in the garbage bin, Victoria
51.7
Mean volume (L) per household per week in the
garbage bin, Victoria
15.28
The audits identify key areas for waste avoidance and reduction in the garbage stream where initiatives
could be put in place or expanded.
Of the three categories audited, food waste accounted for a third of the garbage stream by weight, and of
this nearly two thirds was avoidable. The disposal of food that could have been eaten is a waste of money to
households and to councils and the costs, coupled with the environmental impacts in landfill, make a strong
case to target avoidable food with waste minimisation initiatives.
In the household chemicals category, the four main items collected were household (handheld) alkaline
batteries, car batteries, paint and pharmaceuticals. Household alkaline batteries were the most numerous
single item. The amount of household chemicals was higher in non-metropolitan areas and could be worth
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greater targeting in future, however it is difficult to attribute reasons with any certainty due to variables such
as availability of collection services.
Recyclables were a tenth of the garbage stream consisting mostly of compliant materials: paper and
cardboard, plastics and glass. These findings will help in future planning to increase material for recycling.
Current programs such as GIROBN should continue to be monitored, and future research, additional audits
and waste minimisation initiatives should be carried out in an effort to reduce waste in the garbage stream.
This could be done through social research, resource recovery initiatives, kerbside collection programs,
generation rates, education and community awareness.
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1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
Sustainability Victoria engaged EC Sustainable to conduct audits of kerbside household waste and recycling
bins throughout Victoria. The audits were conducted to provide information about the amount of:

food waste in garbage bins.

household chemicals in garbage bins.

recyclables in garbage and recycling bins.
The audits were conducted with eight councils, which comprised four metropolitan and four nonmetropolitan councils. A sample of 200 households was audited for garbage bins for each council and 200
recycling bins in the four non-metropolitan areas. The report presents metropolitan, non-metropolitan and
statewide results.
This report focuses on the results of the food waste and household chemicals audited in garbage bins.
While there is a brief overview of recyclables in the garbage stream, the findings of these audits will be
combined with audits undertaken in metropolitan Melbourne in a separate report specifically for the “Get it
Right on Bin Night Program”.
For the purposes of this report “metropolitan” means Melbourne and “non-metropolitan” means the rest of
Victoria including urban areas.
1.2 Audit purpose and objectives
Sustainability Victoria commissioned the audits to obtain baseline data and inform program development for
three projects:

Improving household recycling practices – Get it Right on Bin Night

Priority Product Intervention

Food waste avoidance.
The objectives of the audits were to measure target materials by weight and by volume:

per household

per resident

by proportion.
1.3 Document structure
This report provides:

project method used to obtain the data (section 3)

limitations of the study (section 4)
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
results of the audit (section 5)

discussion (section 6)

conclusions (section 7)

audit photos and household chemicals data (appendices 1 and 2).
2 Rationale
2.1 Food waste
The Victorian Government’s waste and resource recovery policy Getting Full Value identifies food waste as
a “key area of focus”. The policy states that, because of the environmental risk and financial cost,
households will be provided with support to reduce this waste. In market research undertaken for
Sustainability Victoria, Victorians estimated the value of food they bought but didn’t eat was about $40 a
week – or $2,000 a year (Food Waste Avoidance Study, Woolcott Research, 2010).
A large number of domestic waste audits have been conducted in Australia that measure food waste in total
and results commonly show that food comprises about 40% by weight. However few audits look at the
composition of food waste in detail. And where food has been sorted, the number of categories has been
limited, and they relate more to home composting and source-separated food waste collection. No statewide
audits which look at the composition of food waste appear to have been conducted in Victoria in detail.
In the United Kingdom, extensive research into food waste has been undertaken by the Waste and
Resources Action Programme (WRAP) including a detailed investigation to quantify the amount and
composition of domestic food waste. The results were published in 2009 in a report titled Household Food
and Drink Waste in the UK.
The report presents food waste in the categories shown in Figure 1 and Table 1.
The audit method used in this study is based on the food categories used by WRAP, and enables potential
comparison of Victoria’s data with UK. However this study addresses only food waste in the domestic
garbage bin. WRAP considers all means of food waste disposal including disposal to sewer.
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Figure 1 -
Definitions of food (and drink) waste
Avoidable
Edible waste
Possibly
Kitchen waste
avoidable
Unavoidable
Table 1 -
Definitions of food (and drink) waste
Waste
fraction
Description
Corresponding
fractions in this
report
Kitchen
waste
Food or drink disposed of, including associated inedible material, such
as bones from meat, egg shells, and inedible parts of fruit and
vegetables, but excludes man-made packaging associated with food or
drink, e.g. glass bottles, polymer film, aluminium cans.
All (avoidable,
possibly avoidable
and unavoidable)
Edible
waste
Food and drink disposed of, excluding inedible material and packaging.
It should be noted that this food and drink may not actually be edible at
the point of disposal (e.g. it may have gone mouldy). However, it is
composed of the fraction of food and drink that was, at some point,
edible.
Avoidable and
possibly avoidable
Avoidable
waste
Food and drink, excluding inedible material and packaging. Further
excluded are foods that some people eat and others do not (e.g. bread
crusts), or that can be eaten when a food is prepared in one way but
not in another (e.g. potato skins).
Avoidable
Source for Figure 1 and Table 1: Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK, WRAP, 2009, p15.
2.2 Household chemicals
Sustainability Victoria administers a household chemical collection service known as “Detox your Home”
which is supported by drop-off sites for lower risk products. This is a free service for householders to
dispose of potentially dangerous household chemical products safely and easily without harm to human
health or the environment. Victorian householders can dispose of hazardous household chemical products
through a mobile collection service or use a permanent drop-off site to dispose of paint, household batteries
and CFLs. The program is delivered in partnership with local government and is funded by the Victorian
landfill levy.
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“Household chemicals” in this study refers to all materials collected by Sustainability Victoria through the
Detox your Home program in categories including paint, batteries and CFLs.
In addition the study includes a category for “other” waste disposed of through the domestic garbage stream
such as e-waste and medical items.
No detailed audits of the composition of household chemicals in the waste stream have been conducted in
Victoria until now. The audits reported on here will be used to benchmark the generation of household
chemicals by Victorian households.
2.3 Recyclables
Sustainability Victoria is managing an education program and campaign to divert more recyclable material
from household garbage bins to recycling bins and reduce the level of contamination in the recycling bin.
Called Get it Right on Bin Night (GIROBN), the program was launched in 2012 initially in Melbourne and
expanded to regional Victoria in 2013.
The program aims to:

improve kerbside recycling rates

reduce the size of the residual waste stream

reduce the amount of unwanted materials in recycling bins, in particular plastic bags

increase householder commitment to recycling through improved confidence in the recycling
system.
The initial campaign received funding from the Australian Packaging Covenant, all Melbourne councils,
Sustainability Victoria and the Metropolitan Waste Management Group which has also been a program
partner.
Prior to its Melbourne launch, a detailed audit was conducted by EC Sustainable to establish a baseline and
again after the campaign had started, to monitor results.
A similar method was used to evaluate the performance in non-metropolitan areas. Initial results are
provided here however final results will be published in a dedicated GIROBN report.
3 Project method
3.1 Guidelines
The audit was conducted in accordance with Sustainability Victoria’s Guidelines for auditing kerbside waste
in Victoria – leading practice for measuring kerbside waste, recycling and green organics. In addition, an
audit method designed by EC Sustainable was used for monitoring the GIROBN campaign.
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3.2 Audit structure
Figure 2 provides the structure of the audits.
Figure 2 -
Waste and recycling audit process
1. Select Sampling Area
2. Select Households within Sampling Area
3. Kerbside Bin Survey – Visual Check
4. Sticker Surveyed Bins
5a. Collect Surveyed
Waste Bins
5b. Collect Surveyed
Recycling Bins
7a. Tip Collected
Waste Bins
7b. Tip Collected
Recycling Bins
8a. Sort Delivered
Waste Bin Contents
8b. Sort Delivered
Recycling Bins
Contents
9a. Weigh and Data
Enter Results
9b. Weigh and Data
Enter Results
Non-metropolitan Councils Only
6. Set-up Sorting Site Area to Receive Samples
10. Dispose of/Recycle Sorted Materials
3.3 Sampling
3.3.1
General
Eight councils were selected by Sustainability Victoria to represent inner and outer Melbourne and urban
and non-urban Victoria. Councils were selected to represent a random sample from a broad cross section of
the Victorian community and included a mix of different bin collection systems. Sustainability Victoria
selected:

metropolitan - two inner/middle and two outer city areas in Melbourne
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
non-metropolitan - one large city, two medium-sized non-metropolitan towns and one small town.
The samples selected were all residential households serviced by local government kerbside collection
services.
Councils supplied collection trucks and an area where materials could be sorted, and took care of the
materials after sorting for recovery or landfill.
3.3.2
Size
A sample of 200 households was selected from each council and the audits were conducted in two batches
of 100 on consecutive days with the exception of one council that only services recycling once per week
(which meant 200 households were completed on one day), and one council whose collection truck
experienced a mechanical failure (which resulted in the second audit of 100 bins being conducted on two
separate days). The total audit sample of garbage bins was 15.8 tonnes (15,765.96 kg) from eight councils.
3.3.3
Demographics
Based on the most recent census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, 2011), the number of
people per household in the study area are:

2.5 in the metropolitan area audited

2.4 in the non-metropolitan area audited

2.43 statewide (an extrapolation of the number of households audited in each of the metropolitan
and non-metropolitan areas).
Based on the most recent census data (ABS, 2011), the numbers of households in the study areas are:

1,572,171 in the metropolitan area

619,261 in the non-metropolitan area

2,191,432 statewide.
Sustainability Victoria requested that the audits focus on areas more likely to have families and that samples
from multi-unit developments be limited.
3.4 Visual bin surveys
Prior to the audits, the auditors surveyed the applicable bins for the target number of households. A bin
survey starting point was agreed with each council. The visual bin survey looked at:

the proportion of bin used (assessed in 10% increments)

the number of bins on the kerbside for each stream

contamination in recycling bins.
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A sticker was placed on the surveyed bins so they could be identified by the collection truck driver.
3.5 Material collection
Collection was undertaken using the aggregated truck method system and an auditor accompanied the
collection truck to ensure that all samples collected were those with stickers.
3.6 Sorting categories
The materials were sorted and classified for analysis using the categories shown in the following tables:

food (table 2)

household chemicals (table 3)

recyclables (table 4).
Containerised food and drinks were split into the food component and packaging component as a sub-sort.
Commonly, audits will classify containerised food as “other”. However, these audits measured containerised
food as a category, and containers and food were then weighed separately. Food was then added to
appropriate food categories and recyclable containers added to appropriate recyclables categories.
It is noted that in the fourth category “other” the materials included garden organics, nappies, textiles and
building materials.
3.7 Data verification and accuracy
Several quality control actions were taken including third party checking of data and weighing aggregated
samples prior to sub-sorting to check audit accuracy. In addition some random bins were re-sorted by an audit
supervisor to check the sorting quality.
Rounding has been applied to this data; therefore the data represented is a calculated approximation of the raw
data and its exact mathematical value. The rounding of figures may cause some variances with totals.
3.8 Extrapolation of Victoria data
Statewide data is extrapolated from the metropolitan and non-metropolitan area results using the number of
households in each area and statewide 1.
1
ABS (2011) census data, Melbourne Statistical Division Greater Melbourne 1,572,171 households and non-metropolitan area 619,261
households.
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Table 2 -
Sorting categories – food waste
Category
Components of category
Avoidable food
Fresh salad leaves
Unprocessed salads which include lettuce and leafy greens
Fresh fruit
Unprocessed fresh fruit considered perishable and is not preserved by
canning, freezing or drying
Fresh vegetables
Unprocessed fresh vegetables considered perishable and is not
preserved by canning, freezing or drying. Includes some items that are
seeded, but considered as vegetables such as cucumber, capsicum,
tomato
Bakery
Includes bread, pastry, cracker biscuits, and cookies
Meals (home cooked/pre-prepared)
Home cooked and pre-prepared meals
Meat and fish (uncooked)
Uncooked meat including poultry (chicken/ turkey/ duck), beef, lamb,
pork and fish
Dairy/eggs
Cheese, cream, yogurt, egg (excluding egg shells), and milk
Processed vegetables/salad
Vegetables and vegetable based salads which have been pre-prepared
fresh, canned, frozen or dried. This includes: canned corn, baked
beans, beetroot, frozen peas, beans and vegetable mixes
Condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
Includes ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce,
vegemite, peanut butter, honey, jam, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, dried
herbs, powdered spices, chutney, salsa and marinades and other
similar items
Staple foods
Includes pasta, breakfast cereal, rice, oats and noodles
Cake/desserts
Includes cheesecake, buns, donuts, jelly, ice cream, pastries,
cupcakes, cake, scones, custard, pudding, fruit pies and other desserts
Confectionery/snacks
All sweet and savoury snacks including nuts, crisps, lollies, candy,
chocolate, corn chips, granola bars and rice cake
Processed fruit
Fruits which have been pre-prepared fresh, canned, frozen or dried or
processed such as toffee apples
Food in unopened packets / containers
All food in unopened packets / containers (excluding meat)
Unavoidable food
Skins (bananas etc)
Skins mainly from fruit such as bananas, oranges, lemons, limes,
pineapples, mangoes, melons, kiwi fruit.
Bones/pips/corn cobs/egg shells
Includes chicken bones, t-bones, ribs, fish bones, corn cobs, egg
shells, fruit and vegetable pips, seeds and cores, crab and prawn shells
Tea bags/coffee grounds
All tea bags and coffee grounds
Possibly avoidable food
Peelings/stems/outer leaves
Peelings mainly from vegetables including potato and carrot peelings,
broccoli stems, cabbage leaves, spring onion/shallot tops and bean and
sprout ends
Drinks
Drinks
Includes coffee and tea, fruit juice flavoured milk beverages, alcoholic
beverages such as beer, lager, cider, spirits and wines and soft drinks
and water
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Table 3 -
Sorting categories – household chemicals
Category
Chemicals
Acids/alkalis
Glues (water based/solvents)
Aerosol cans
Herbicides/weed killers
Batteries (household)
Insect spray/ pesticides
Cleaners (ammonia based)
Nail polish/removers
Compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs)
Oven cleaners
Cooking oil
Paint
Detergents/disinfectants/drain cleaners
Paint stripper/thinner/turps
Fertilisers
Pharmaceuticals
Fire extinguishers
Pool chemicals
Floor-care products
Rat poison
Fluorescent tubes (non-compact)
Solvents
Fluorescent starters
Wax
Fuels - petrol/diesel/kerosene/other
Wood preservatives/finishes
Gas cylinders (<9kg BBQ/leisure)
Other chemical-based or toxic products
Anti-freeze
Coolant
Brake fluid
Headlights
Brake pads
Motor oil
Car batteries
Oil filters
Car body filler
Transmission fluid
Car wax
Other vehicle related
Other
Cables/chargers
Mobile phones
Computers
Printer cartridges
Computer accessories - small including
mouse/keyboards
TVs/monitors
Incandescent light globes
Needles, epi pens and medical
Asbestos
Dust
Other electrical/ e-waste
Other
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Table 4 -
Sorting categories – recyclables
Sorting category
Components
Recyclable
Compliant paper and
cardboard
Newspaper, magazines/ brochures, miscellaneous (paper) packaging,
corrugated cardboard, cardboard / package board, disposable paper
product, print/ writing/ office paper
Compliant LPB containers
Liquid paperboard containers
Compliant glass
Glass beverage containers, glass non beverage containers / other
packaging glass
Compliant plastics
PET (1), HDPE (2) and PVC (3) beverage and non-beverage containers,
LDPE (4) packaging, PP (5) packaging including plant pots, PS (6)
packaging, other plastics (7), PP plant pots
Compliant steel
Steel beverage containers, steel packaging (excluding beverage
containers)
Compliant aluminium
Aluminium beverage containers, aluminium packaging (excluding
beverage containers), aluminium non-packaging (foils)
Potentially recyclable
Other steel
Steel other non-packaging (100% ferrous items that are not cans / tins / or
packaging materials, any other steel).
Other aluminium
Aluminium non-packaging (100% aluminium items that are not
cans/tins/packaging materials, any other aluminium).
Plastic - other rigid mouldings
^^
PP (5) non-packaging (appliance parts, crates and boxes, toys,
housewares/ kitchenware, furniture, mouldings, irrigation fittings).
Organics
Food / kitchen (loose)
Non-containerised kitchen food products.
Containerised food
Containerised kitchen food products (food in unopened packets). #
Garden / vegetation
Loose garden vegetation with dimensions no longer than 0.3m long, 0.3m
wide and 0.3m depth.
Other paper
Compostable paper not suitable for recycling based on typical MRF
standards (before being put in the bin), soiled paper and used tissues.
Other putrescible
Animal excrement mixed compostable items, kitty litter.
Other material
Other material
Everything else including absorbent hygiene waste.
^ Other aluminium was split between foils (kerbside recyclable) and other materials (not kerbside recyclable). The foils are applied to
compliant aluminium in the results.
^^ Plastic rigid mouldings (i.e. all rigid plastic that was not a recyclable container was split between plant pots (kerbside recyclable) and
other rigid plastic materials that are not recyclable containers (not kerbside recyclable). The plant pots are applied to compliant plastics.
# This category is predominantly organic material for kerbside educational purposes. However, the material should be excluded if
considered mixed waste processing facilities because of inaccessibility of the material to resource recovery.
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4 Limitations
The following limitations of the study are noted.

The study only included food and drink placed into garbage bins for disposal. It did not include other
means of disposal such as:

o
sewer
o
home composting and animal feed.
The sampling included only four out of 30 metropolitan councils and four out of 49 non-metropolitan
councils.

The calculated volume does not account for the potentially different compaction of materials.

The confidence intervals (margin of error) of the data are not calculated. This is because the
aggregated nature of sampling makes analysing the variation between samples impractical.

The compositional audit data was not collected at an individual household level. This inhibits the
ability to understand individual household behaviour and determine outlying results.

Households were not audited in both garbage collection weeks in a fortnightly cycle. There may be
differences in the results by collection week.

The audits do not account for season, or the impact of holidays and festivals on domestic food
waste generation. Seasonal weather variations affect audit results so any comparison with other
reports should consider the time of year audits were undertaken.
5 Results
5.1 Generation rate overview
5.1.1
Key categories by weight and volume
Statewide, the mean garbage bin yield was 9.7 kilograms per household per week (kg/hh/wk) overall, with a
lower yield in the metropolitan area (9.5 kg/hh/wk) compared to the non-metropolitan area (10.2 kg/hh/wk).
Tables 5 and 6 provide the mean garbage bin generation rate per household and per person.
Of the 9.7 kg/hh/wk, the approximate breakdown was 3.4 kg food, 1 kg recyclables and 0.2 kg household
chemicals. Other, 5 kg, consisted mainly of garden organics, textiles and nappies.
The yield of food waste per household was higher in metropolitan than non-metropolitan areas (although the
percentage of food was higher in the metropolitan area because of the lower mean bin weight) while the
amounts of household chemicals and recyclables were higher in the non-metropolitan area.
Table 7 provides the mean garbage bin generation rate per person by volume. The mean garbage bin
volume was 28.4 litres per household per week overall, with a similar volume in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Food at 8.2 L/hh/wk and household chemicals at 1.5 L/hh/wk had a higher volume in
non-metropolitan areas compared to metropolitan areas which were 7.66 L/hh/wk and 0.60 L/hh/wk
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respectively. Recyclables had a higher volume in the metropolitan (4.8 L/hh/wk) compared to nonmetropolitan areas (3.7 L/hh/wk).
Table 5 -
Garbage bin composition by weight per household, Victoria, 2013
Category
Weight (kg/household/week)
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Food
3.70
2.76
3.43
Household chemicals
0.13
0.34
0.19
Recyclables
0.92*
1.37
1.05
Other material
4.74
5.74
5.02
Total^
9.50
10.21
9.70
* Based on the 2012 Get It Right on Bin Night audits
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Table 6 -
Garbage bin composition by weight per person, Victoria, 2013
Category
Weight (kg/person/week)
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Food
1.54
1.11
1.42
Household chemicals
0.06
0.14
0.08
Recyclables
0.38
0.55
0.43
Other material
1.98
2.30
2.07
Total^
3.96
4.10
4.00
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Table 7 -
Garbage bin composition by volume per household, Victoria, 2013
Category
Volume (L/household/week)
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Food
7.66
8.20
7.81
Household chemicals
0.60
1.51
0.86
Recyclables
4.77
3.68
4.46
Other material
15.22
15.43
15.28
Total^
28.25
28.81
28.41
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
5.1.2
Key categories by percentage
Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the percentage of the key materials for each area of Victoria, metropolitan and
non-metropolitan respectively.
Statewide, the data show that 35.6% of the kerbside garbage bin was food, including food that had been in
unopened packets and containers.
Figure 5 shows that in the non-metropolitan area, recyclable material made up 13.4% (1.37 kg/hh/wk) of the
garbage bin (including unopened containers that had contained food). This compares to 9.7% (0.92
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kg/hh/wk) which was the result for the metropolitan area from audits conducted in 2012, (It is noted that
there was no difference in the weight of the garbage bin in the metropolitan area between 2012 and 2013.
In the non-metropolitan area, household chemicals make up 3.3% (0.34 kg/hh/wk) of the garbage bin
(Figure 5). This compares to 1.5% (0.13 kg/hh/wk) in the metropolitan area, showing that the nonmetropolitan area has a higher level of household chemicals.
Figure 3 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, Victoria 2013
Figure 4 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, metropolitan 2013
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Figure 5 -
Garbage bin composition by weight as percentage, non-metropolitan 2013
5.2 Food waste in the garbage stream
5.2.1
Overview
Statewide, the weight of food waste in the garbage bin was 3.4 kg/hh/wk which was 35.6% of the garbage
bin (see Section 5.1). The data shows that 64.4% of this was avoidable, with a slightly higher rate in
metropolitan councils (65.5%) compared to non-metropolitan councils (60.5%). Table 8 provides the
percentage of food waste by summary categories. The figure increases to 75.3% when possibly avoidable
food is added.
Statewide, the data show that 23.9% of food waste was unavoidable, 10.9% was possibly avoidable and
0.9% was drinks. It is noted that most drinks are probably disposed of to sewer.
Table 9 provides the volume of food waste per person by summary categories. Statewide it shows that
avoidable food waste has the highest volume (4.67 L//hh/wk), followed by unavoidable food waste (2.1
L/hh/wk), possibly avoidable food waste (0.93 L/hh/wk) and then drinks (0.1 L/hh/wk).
Table 8 -
Food waste composition by proportion, Victoria, 2013
Percentage
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Avoidable
Unavoidable
Possibly Avoidable
Drinks
65.5
23.9
10.0
0.5
60.5
23.8
13.7
2.1
64.4
23.9
10.9
0.9
Total^
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
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Table 9 -
Food waste composition per household by volume, Victoria, 2013
Volume (L/household/wk)
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Avoidable
Unavoidable
Possibly Avoidable
Drinks
4.56
2.12
0.90
0.08
4.95
2.08
1.01
0.16
4.67
2.11
0.93
0.10
Total^
7.66
8.20
7.81
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Figures 6-8 provide the weight and percentage of food and drink waste generated for each summary
category in Victoria, metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas respectively.
Figure 6 -
Food generation kg/household/week, Victoria, 2013
Figure 7 -
Food generation kg/household/week, metropolitan, 2013
Figure 8 -
Food generation kg/household/week, non-metropolitan, 2013
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5.2.2
Food waste composition
Table 10 provides the detailed food waste composition by weight and percentage, while Figure 9 illustrates
this as a bar graph. The data show a high proportion of the following by weight in order from highest to
lowest:

skins (unavoidable)

bakery (avoidable)

meal leftovers (avoidable)

peelings (possibly avoidable)

Dairy/ eggs (avoidable)

fresh vegetables (avoidable)

fresh fruit (avoidable).
Food that could have been eaten was 64.4%, statewide.
Table 10 -
Food waste composition by weight and percentage, Victoria, 2013
Weight
(kg/household/week)
Category
Metro
Nonmetro
Victoria
Fresh salad leaves
0.05
0.06
0.05
Fresh fruit
0.20
0.20
Fresh vegetables
0.27
Bakery
Percentage
Nonmetro
Victoria
1.4
2.1
1.6
0.20
5.3
7.2
5.7
0.27
0.27
7.4
10.0
8.0
0.64
0.36
0.56
17.3
12.9
16.3
Meals (home cooked/pre-prepared)
0.43
0.47
0.44
11.7
16.9
12.9
Meat/fish (uncooked)
0.13
0.09
0.12
3.5
3.1
3.4
Dairy/eggs
0.40
0.05
0.30
10.9
1.8
8.8
Processed veg/salad
0.05
0.01
0.04
1.3
0.5
1.1
Condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
0.05
0.01
0.04
1.3
0.4
1.1
Staple foods
0.12
0.08
0.11
3.3
2.7
3.2
Cake/dessert
0.04
0.04
0.04
1.2
1.6
1.3
Confectionery/snacks
0.02
0.03
0.03
0.7
1.0
0.8
Processed fruit
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.3
0.3
0.3
Sub-total
2.42
1.67
2.21
65.5
60.5
64.4
Skins (bananas, etc)
0.62
0.42
0.57
16.8
15.3
16.5
Bones/pips/corn cobs/egg shells
0.18
0.16
0.17
4.8
5.9
5.1
Tea bags/coffee grounds
0.08
0.07
0.08
2.3
2.6
2.3
Sub-total
0.89
0.66
0.82
23.9
23.8
23.9
Possibly
avoidable
Peelings/stems/outer leaves
0.37
0.38
0.37
10.0
13.7
10.9
Drinks
Drinks
0.02
0.06
0.03
0.5
2.1
0.9
Total^
3.70
2.76
3.43
100.0
100.0
100.0
Metro
Avoidable
Unavoidable
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
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Figure 9 -
Food waste composition by percentage, Victoria, 2013
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Table 11 -
Food waste composition per household by volume, Victoria, 2013
Volume
(L/household/week)
Category
Metro
Nonmetro
Victoria
Metro
Nonmetro
Victoria
Fresh salad leaves
0.31
0.31
0.31
4.0
3.8
3.9
Fresh fruit
0.44
0.43
0.44
5.8
5.3
5.6
Fresh vegetables
0.72
0.66
0.70
9.4
8.1
9.0
Bakery
1.05
1.44
1.16
13.7
17.5
14.8
Meals (home cooked/pre-prepared)
0.80
1.08
0.88
10.4
13.2
11.2
Meat/fish (uncooked)
0.37
0.22
0.33
4.8
2.7
4.2
Dairy/eggs
0.13
0.14
0.13
1.7
1.8
1.7
Processed veg/salad
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.9
0.9
0.9
Condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.8
0.7
0.7
Staple foods
0.29
0.23
0.27
3.7
2.7
3.4
Cake/dessert
0.15
0.13
0.15
2.0
1.6
1.9
Confectionery/snacks
0.14
0.12
0.13
1.8
1.5
1.7
Processed fruit
0.04
0.05
0.05
0.6
0.6
0.6
Sub-total
4.56
4.95
4.67
59.5
60.4
59.8
Skins (bananas, etc)
1.41
1.29
1.37
18.4
15.7
17.6
Bones/pips/corn cobs/egg shells
0.45
0.54
0.48
5.9
6.6
6.1
Tea bags/coffee grounds
0.26
0.25
0.25
3.3
3.0
3.2
Avoidable
Unavoidable
Percentage
Sub-total
2.12
2.08
2.11
27.7
25.3
27.0
Possibly
avoidable
Peelings/stems/outer leaves
0.90
1.01
0.93
11.8
12.4
12.0
Drinks
Drinks
0.08
0.16
0.10
1.0
1.9
1.3
Total^
7.66
8.20
7.81
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
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5.2.3
Avoidable food waste
Table 12 provides the avoidable food waste composition by percentage while Figure 10 illustrates this as a
bar graph. Statewide the data show that approximately a quarter of avoidable foods are bakery at 25.3%, a
fifth was meals (home cooked/pre-prepared) at 20.0%, approximately a seventh was dairy/ eggs at 13.7%
and an eighth was fresh vegetables at 12.4%. Non-metropolitan councils had a higher rate of meals (home
cooked/ pre-prepared) at 28.0% compared to metropolitan councils at 17.9%. Metropolitan councils had a
higher rate of dairy/eggs at 16.6% compared to non-metropolitan councils at 3.0%.
Table 12 -
Avoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013
Category
Percentage within avoidable food
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Fresh salad leaves
2.1
3.5
2.4
Fresh fruit
8.1
11.9
8.9
Fresh vegetables
11.3
16.4
12.4
Bakery
26.3
21.3
25.3
Meals (home cooked/pre-prepared)
17.9
28.0
20.0
Meat/fish (uncooked)
5.3
5.1
5.3
16.6
3.0
13.7
Processed veg/salad
2.0
0.8
1.7
Condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
2.0
0.7
1.7
Staple foods
5.1
4.5
4.9
Cake/dessert
1.8
2.6
2.0
Confectionery/snacks
1.0
1.7
1.2
Dairy/eggs
Processed fruit
Total^
0.5
0.5
0.5
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
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Figure 10 -
Avoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013
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5.2.4
Unavoidable food waste
Table 13 provides the unavoidable food waste composition by percentage and Figure 11 illustrates the
percentages as a bar graph. The data show that most of the unavoidable food was skins at 69.0%, with
approximately a fifth being bones/pips/corn cobs/ egg shells at 21.2% and a tenth being tea bags/coffee
grounds at 9.8%.
Skins and cores were sorted as one category, however, visually the auditors determined the materials to be
90% skins such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, and 10% cores (apples, capsicums,
and pineapples).
Table 13 -
Unavoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013
Category
Percentage
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Skins
70.3
64.6
69.0
Bones, pips, corn cobs, egg shells
20.1
24.7
21.2
9.5
10.7
9.8
100.0
100.0
100.0
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Total^
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Figure 11 -
Unavoidable food waste composition, Victoria, 2013
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Figure 12 -
5.2.5
Unavoidable food (tea bags and skins)
Possibly avoidable food waste
Possibly avoidable food waste was sorted as one category, however, the auditors made some visual notes
and identified most material as vegetable: carrot peelings, potato peelings, cabbage and broccoli stems.
There were smaller amounts of spring onion/shallot tops and ends, bean ends, spring onion ends plus a
large number of other smaller fractions, mostly vegetable.
Figure 13 -
5.2.6
Possibly avoidable food
Food in unopened packets and containers
Statewide, the weight of food in unopened packets and containers was 0.13 kg/hh/wk and food and
packaging together was 0.16 kg/hh/wk (see Table 14). The food component accounted for 80% of the food
in unopened packets category with the remaining 20% being packaging.
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The yield of food in unopened packets and containers was higher in the metropolitan area (0.14 kg/hh/wk)
compared to the non-metropolitan area (0.09 kg/hh/wk).
Table 14 -
Weight of food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013
Category
Weight (kg/household/week)
Percentage
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
0.18
0.12
0.16
100.0
100.0
100.0
Food only
0.14
0.09
0.13
79.8
79.8
79.8
Packets
0.04
0.02
0.03
20.2
20.2
20.2
Food, packets and containers^
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Statewide, the food in unopened packets and containers was 3.8% of the total food and 1.7% of the total
garbage stream (see Table 15).
Table 15 -
Percentage of food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013
Category
Percentage
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Food in unopened packaging within total food
3.9
3.4
3.8
Food in unopened packaging within the garbage stream
1.9
1.1
1.7
All the contents of unopened packets and containers was avoidable food, including tea bags and ground
coffee (see Figure 14 and Table 16).
The data show that most food removed from the food in packets was condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
(38.6%), processed vegetables and salad (30.8%) and staple foods (18.0%), staple foods being mostly
bread, rice and pasta.
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Table 16 -
Food removed from unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013
Category
Percentage
Fresh salad leaves
0.7
Fresh fruit
0.0
Fresh vegetables
0.6
Bakery
0.0
Meals (home cooked/pre-prepared)
0.0
Meat/fish (uncooked)
1.6
Dairy/eggs
0.0
Processed vegetables/salad
30.8
Condiments/sauces/herbs/spices
38.6
Staple foods
18.0
Cake/dessert
3.6
Confectionery/snacks
4.5
Processed fruit
0.7
Tea bags/ground coffee
1.0
Total^
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause totals not to sum to 100%
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Figure 14 -
Food in unopened packaging, Victoria, 2013
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Statewide the data show that the main types of packaging/ containers that contained food were compliant
plastics (40.7%) and compliant glass (39.1%) with a small amount of all other materials (see Figure 15 and
Table 17). The total weight of packaging was 0.03 kg/hh/wk.
Table 17 -
Composition of unopened packaging that contained food, Victoria, 2013
Category
Percentage
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
1. Compliant Paper and Cardboard
1.3
3.0
1.8
2. Compliant LPB Containers
1.5
4.9
2.4
3. Compliant Glass
39.1
39.2
39.1
4. Compliant Plastics
42.5
36.1
40.7
5. Compliant Steel
4.9
7.2
5.5
6. Compliant Aluminium
2.0
1.7
1.9
7. Other Steel
0.5
0.0
0.3
16. Other
8.3
8.0
8.2
100.0
100.0
100.0
Total
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Figure 15 -
Composition of unopened packaging that contained food
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Figure 16 -
5.2.7
Containerised food
Drinks
Drinks were sorted as one category which included fruit juice and alcohol. However, the auditors separated
drinks into some additional sub categories. The results show that:

62% was soft drinks and water (visually estimated to be approximately evenly distributed)

24% was fruit juice

8% was alcoholic drinks

6% was milk-based drinks (i.e. not pure milk).
Milk was sorted into the dairy/ eggs category, iced coffee was sorted to milk-based drinks and iced tea to
soft drinks. The liquid was emptied from containers for weighing. Figure 17 shows examples.
Figure 17 -
Drink waste
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5.3 Household chemicals in the garbage stream
5.3.1
Overview
Statewide, the data show that the weight of household chemicals waste was 0.19 kg/hh/wk, which was 2.0%
of the garbage bin (see Section 5.1). Of this, 29.0% was chemicals and 71.0% of the material was other,
which includes a variety of items such as e-waste (see Table 18). Chemicals collected in the household
chemicals collection program make up approximately 0.6% of total garbage. The data show that the yield of
chemicals was higher in non-metropolitan areas (34.6%) compared to metropolitan areas (23.4%).
Statewide, the data show that by volume of household chemicals, 15.1% was chemicals and 84.9% of the
material was other (see Table 19).
Table 18 -
Household chemicals waste by weight, Victoria, 2013
Weight (kg/household/week)
Percentage
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Chemicals
0.03
0.12
0.06
23.4
34.6
29.0
Other
0.10
0.22
0.14
76.6
65.4
71.0
Total^
0.13
0.34
0.19
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Table 19 -
Household chemicals waste per household by volume, Victoria
Volume (L/household/week)
Percentage
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Chemicals
0.09
0.23
0.13
15.2
14.9
15.1
Other
0.51
1.28
0.73
84.8
85.1
84.9
Total^
0.60
1.51
0.86
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
5.3.2
Household chemicals waste composition
Statewide, the four main chemicals were household (handheld) alkaline batteries at 22.5%, car batteries at
19.6%, paint at 14.2% and pharmaceuticals at 10.7% with all other chemicals making up the remaining
33.1% (see Figures 18-20). The non-metropolitan area has the same four main chemicals as statewide.
However, the metropolitan area differs by one main category with batteries (car) being replaced by aerosol
cans (10.1%).
Table 20 and Figure 21 provide the detailed composition of household chemicals by weight. The data show
that there was a wide distribution of materials disposed of in the garbage stream, although most were very
small. The key materials based on the audit results were:

toiletries/ cosmetic items which were 6.6% of the material statewide (12.6g/hh/wk), with less in the
non-metropolitan councils.
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
household (handheld) alkaline batteries which were 6.5%% of the material statewide (12.5 g/hh/wk),
with less in the non-metropolitan councils.

car batteries which were 5.7% of the material statewide (10.9 g/hh/wk), with none in the
metropolitan councils.

paint which was 4.1% of the material statewide (7.9 g/hh/wk), with less in the metropolitan councils.
As the audit focused on household chemicals collected in the Detox Your Home service, items such as ewaste were categorised as “other”. It is noted however that e-waste was 53.7% of the household chemical
material statewide and approximately 1.1% of total garbage. However a more useful analysis than weight is
the count of each item which is provided in the following section.
Table 21 provides a detailed composition of household chemicals by volume with the key chemicals being:

household (handheld) alkaline batteries which were 2.7% of material statewide(23 mL/hh/wk), with
less in non-metropolitan councils.

pharmaceuticals which were 2.2% of the material statewide (19 mL/hh/wk), with less in nonmetropolitan councils.

car batteries which were 1.64% of the material statewide (14 mL/hh/wk), with none in metropolitan
councils.

paint which was 1.5% of the material statewide (12 mL/hh/wk), with less in metropolitan councils.
Statewide, e-waste was 72.1% of the volume of household chemicals and approximately 2.2% of the
garbage stream.
Figure 18 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Victoria, 2013
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Figure 19 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Metropolitan, 2013
Figure 20 -
Four main household chemical wastes by weight, Non-metropolitan, 2013
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Table 20 -
Household chemicals waste composition by weight, Victoria, 2013
Percentage
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Acids/alkalis
0.0
0.8
0.4
Aerosol cans
2.4
0.3
1.4
Anti-freeze
0.0
0.0
0.0
Batteries (household akaline)
6.6
6.4
6.5
Batteries (car)
0.0
11.4
5.7
Brake fluid
0.0
0.0
0.0
Car body filler
0.0
0.0
0.0
Cleaners (ammonia based)
Compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs)
and starters
Cooking oil
0.3
0.0
0.1
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.3
1.7
1.0
Coolant
0.0
0.0
0.0
Detergents/ disinfectants/ drain cleaners
1.2
0.5
0.9
Fertiliser
0.1
0.1
0.1
Fire extinguishers
0.0
0.0
0.0
Floor-care products and waxes
0.2
0.7
0.4
Chemicals
Fluorescent tubes
0.2
0.9
0.6
(Detox Your
Fuels (petrol/diesel/kerosene/other)
0.0
0.7
0.4
Home)
Gas cylinders (up to 9kg BBQ/ leisure)
0.1
0.0
0.1
Glues (water based/solvents)
1.0
0.1
0.5
Herbicides/ weed killers
0.0
0.1
0.1
Insect spray/ pesticides
0.0
0.0
0.0
Motor oil
0.0
0.8
0.4
Nail polish/ remover
0.9
0.0
0.5
Oven cleaners
0.0
0.0
0.0
Paint (paint and tin)
3.7
4.6
4.1
Paint stripper/thinner/turps
1.5
0.0
0.7
Pharmaceuticals
4.1
2.1
3.1
Pool chemicals
0.0
0.0
0.0
Rat poison
0.0
0.1
0.0
Solvents
0.0
0.3
0.2
Transmission fluid
0.0
1.9
1.0
Wood preservatives/ finishes (oils/
varnish)
0.0
0.0
0.0
23.4
34.6
29.0
Sub-total^
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Table 20 (continued) Household chemicals waste composition by weight, Victoria, 2013
Percentage
Category
Other
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Brake pads
Cables/ chargers
Computers
Computer accessories (mouse/ keyboard
etc)
Dust
0.0
9.0
0.0
4.7
5.1
0.0
2.3
7.1
0.0
0.8
2.9
1.8
0.2
4.2
2.2
Hazardous mixed fines
0.0
0.9
0.5
Headlights
0.0
0.9
0.5
Incandescent globes
1.3
0.2
0.8
Mobile phones
0.3
0.4
0.4
Needles/ medical
0.1
0.1
0.1
Oil filters
0.0
1.5
0.8
Printer cartridges
0.4
0.3
0.3
Sunscreen
0.0
0.5
0.2
Toiletries/ cosmetics
10.8
2.3
6.6
TVs/monitors
0.0
0.0
0.0
Other e-waste
49.4
37.2
43.3
Other (unknown)
4.3
4.1
4.2
Sub-total^
76.6
65.4
71.0
Total^
100.0
100.0
100.0
* Some categories listed in Table 3 are not shown in the table above, due to having zero results. These include asbestos and car wax.
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
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Figure 21 -
Household chemicals waste composition by weight
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Table 21 -
Household chemicals waste composition by volume, Victoria, 2013
Percentage
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Acids/alkalis
0.00
0.08
0.04
Aerosol cans
1.96
0.33
1.16
Anti-freeze
0.00
0.00
0.00
Batteries (household akaline)
3.10
2.24
2.68
Batteries (car)
0.00
3.32
1.64
Brake fluid
0.00
0.00
0.00
Car body filler
0.00
0.00
0.00
Cleaners (ammonia based)
Compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs)
and starters
0.21
0.00
0.10
0.83
0.58
0.71
Cooking oil
0.21
0.66
0.43
Coolant
0.00
0.00
0.00
Detergents/ disinfectants/ drain cleaners
1.03
0.41
0.73
Fertiliser
0.21
0.08
0.15
Fire extinguishers
0.00
0.00
0.00
Floor-care products and waxes
0.41
0.58
0.50
Chemicals
Fluorescent tubes
0.41
0.66
0.54
(Detox Your
Fuels (petrol/diesel/kerosene/other)
0.00
1.00
0.49
Home)
Gas cylinders (up to 9kg BBQ/ leisure)
0.21
0.00
0.10
Glues (water based/solvents)
0.62
0.17
0.40
Herbicides/ weed killers
0.00
0.08
0.04
Insect spray/ pesticides
0.21
0.00
0.10
Motor oil
0.00
0.83
0.41
Nail polish/ remover
0.41
0.17
0.29
Oven cleaners
0.00
0.00
0.00
Paint (paint and tin)
1.24
1.66
1.45
Paint stripper/thinner/turps
1.03
0.00
0.52
Pharmaceuticals
3.10
1.33
2.22
Pool chemicals
0.00
0.00
0.00
Rat poison
0.00
0.08
0.04
Solvents
0.00
0.17
0.08
Transmission fluid
0.00
0.50
0.25
Wood preservatives/ finishes (oils/
varnish)
0.00
0.00
0.00
Sub-total^
15.2
14.9
15.1
Brake pads
Cables/ chargers
0.00
8.27
0.08
9.54
0.04
8.90
Computers
Computer accessories (mouse/ keyboard
etc)
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.24
4.90
3.05
Dust
0.00
3.82
1.89
Hazardous mixed fines
0.00
0.83
0.41
Headlights
0.00
0.17
0.08
Incandescent globes
2.07
0.58
1.33
Mobile phones
0.83
0.41
0.62
Needles/ medical
0.21
0.17
0.19
Other
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Table 21 (continued) Household chemicals waste composition by volume, Victoria, 2013
Percentage
Category
Other
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Oil filters
0.00
0.25
0.12
Printer cartridges
1.65
0.83
1.25
Sunscreen
0.00
0.17
0.08
Toiletries/ cosmetics
7.86
1.83
4.87
TVs/monitors
0.00
0.00
0.00
Other e-waste
59.77
54.11
56.97
Other (unknown)
2.90
7.39
5.12
Sub-total^
84.8
85.1
84.9
Total^
100.0
100.0
100.0
^ Rounding of figures may cause totals not to sum to 100%.
5.3.3
Item count
Figure 22 provides the proportion of household chemical items by count. Statewide, 55% are household
chemicals and 45% are other. Statewide, the data shows that the key household chemicals are batteries
(household handheld alkaline) at 64.4%, pharmaceuticals at 15.0% and compact fluorescent light globes at
5.4%.
Table 22 provides the count of each type of item audited plus an extrapolation of the number of each item
generated by households anually. An annual extrapolation is provided instead of a weekly extrapolation
because of the low number of items disposed.
Overall of the total 1,820 household chemical items recorded:

854 items were audited in the metropolitan area which equates to 55 items/hh/yr.

966 items were audited in the non-metropolitan area which equates to 63 items/hh/yr.
The results extrapolate to statewide average of 59 items/hh/yr.
The most numerous single item was batteries (household):

291 batteries were audited in the metropolitan area which equates to 19 batteries/hh/yr.

353 batteries were audited in the non-metropolitan area which equates to 23 batteries/hh/yr.
The results extrapolate to statewide average of 21 batteries/hh/yr.
There was also a substantial amount of e-waste items:

273 e-waste items were audited in the metropolitan area which equates to nearly 18 items/hh/yr.

254 e-waste items were audited in the non-metropolitan area which equates to nearly17 items/hh/yr.
The results extrapolate to statewide average of 17 e-waste items/hh/yr.
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Paint and CFLs are materials of particular interest to Sustainability Victoria in the Detox Your Home
program, and the numbers are shown below.
Paint:

3 paint tins were audited in the metropolitan area which equates to 0.2 paint tins/hh/yr.

12 paint tins were audited in the non-metropolitan area which equates to 0.8 paint tins/hh/yr.
The results extrapolate to statewide average of 0.5 paint tins/hh/yr.
CFLs:

21 CFLs were audited in the metropolitan area which equates to 1.4 CFLs /hh/yr.

33 CFLs items were audited in the non-metropolitan area which equates to 2.1 CFLs /hh/yr.
The results extrapolate to statewide average of 1.8 CFLs /hh/yr.
There were three car batteries audited in the non-metropolitan area, but none in the metropolitan area.
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Figure 22 -
Household chemicals waste composition by count
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Table 22 -
Household chemicals waste item count, Victoria, 2013
Total items
Category
Items/household/year
Metro
Non-metro
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Acids/alkalis
0
1
0.0
0.1
0.0
Aerosol cans
17
4
1.1
0.3
0.7
Anti-freeze
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
291
353
18.9
22.9
20.9
Batteries (car)
0
3
0.0
0.2
0.1
Brake fluid
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Car body filler
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Cleaners (ammonia based)
Compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs)
4
21
0
33
0.3
1.4
0.0
2.1
0.1
1.8
Cooking oil
1
10
0.1
0.7
0.4
Coolant
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Detergents/ disinfectants/ drain cleaners
5
5
0.3
0.3
0.3
Fertiliser
2
1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Fire extinguishers
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Batteries (household akaline)
Floor-care products and waxes
3
13
0.2
0.8
0.5
Chemicals
Fluorescent tubes
6
12
0.4
0.8
0.6
(Detox Your
Fuels (petrol/diesel/kerosene/other)
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Gas cylinders (up to 9kg BBQ/ leisure)
1
0
0.1
0.0
0.0
Glues (water based/solvents)
3
2
0.2
0.1
0.2
Herbicides/ weed killers
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Insect spray/ pesticides
1
0
0.1
0.0
0.0
Motor oil
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Nail polish/ remover
22
5
1.4
0.3
0.9
Oven cleaners
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Paint
3
12
0.2
0.8
0.5
Home)
Paint stripper/thinner/turps
3
0
0.2
0.0
0.1
Pharmaceuticals
67
83
4.4
5.4
4.9
Pool chemicals
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Rat poison
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Solvents
0
3
0.0
0.2
0.1
Transmission fluid
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Wood preservatives/ finishes (oils/
varnish)
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
450
550
29.3
35.8
32.5
Brake pads
Cables/ chargers
0
88
4
76
0.0
5.7
0.3
4.9
0.1
5.3
Computers
Computer accessories (mouse/ keyboard
etc)
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
4
16
0.3
1.0
0.7
Dust
1
11
0.1
0.7
0.4
Hazardous mixed fines
0
50
0.0
3.3
1.6
Sub-total
Other
Headlights
0
2
0.0
0.1
0.1
Incandescent globes
35
26
2.3
1.7
2.0
Mobile phones
5
9
0.3
0.6
0.5
Needles/ medical
2
12
0.1
0.8
0.5
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Table 22 (continued) Household chemicals waste item count, Victoria, 2013
Items Audited
Category
Other
Metro
Items/household/year
Non-metro
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Oil filters
0
3
0.0
0.2
0.1
Printer cartridges
16
21
1.0
1.4
1.2
Sunscreen
0
5
0.0
0.3
0.2
Toiletries/ cosmetics
60
48
3.9
3.1
3.5
TVs/monitors
0
0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Other e-waste
125
104
8.1
6.8
7.4
Other (unknown)
68
29
4.4
1.9
3.2
Sub-total
404
416
26.3
27.0
26.7
Total^
854
966
55.2
62.8
59.2
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
5.4 Recyclables in the garbage stream
5.4.1
Overview
Statewide, the weight of kerbside recyclables in the garbage bin was 1.05 kg/hh/wk which was 10.8% of the
garbage stream (see Table 23). There was a higher amount (4%) of recyclables in the non-metropolitan
areas compared to the metropolitan (see Figures 24-25).
The “potentially recyclable” material was higher in the non-metropolitan area compared to the metropolitan
area with a mean yield of 0.19 kg/hh/wk or 2.0%. Potentially recyclable material includes “other rigid plastic
mouldings” that are not containers and “other steel”. In some metropolitan councils, these are acceptable at
a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and this may explain the lower yield in metropolitan bins.
The level of organics was approximately 7% higher in the metropolitan area compared to the nonmetropolitan area with a mean yield of 5.34kg/hh/wk or 55.0%.
Table 23 provides an overview of the recyclables in the garbage stream (i.e. unrecovered) using the nonmetropolitan audits from this audit and the metropolitan audits from GIROBN in 2012. The results are
provided by weight per household and weight per resident.
Figures 23- 25 illustrate the percentage of the key materials for each area of Victoria, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan respectively.
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Table 23 -
Garbage composition by key categories per household, Victoria, 2013
Category
Weight (kg/household/week)
Non-metro
Victoria
0.92 *
1.37
1.05
Potentially recyclable
0.16
0.27
0.19
Organics
5.44
5.10
5.34
Other waste
3.00
3.46
3.13
Total^
9.53 *
10.21
9.72
Recyclables
Metro
* Based on the Get It Right on Bin Night 2012 pre-campaign audit
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Table 24 -
Garbage composition by key categories per person, Victoria, 2013
Category
Weight (kg/person/week)
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Recyclables
0.39
0.55
0.43
Potentially recyclable
0.07
0.11
0.08
Organics
2.27
2.05
2.20
Other waste
1.25
1.39
1.29
Total^
3.97
4.10
4.01
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Figure 23 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Victoria, 2013
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Figure 24 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Metropolitan, 2013
Figure 25 -
Garbage composition by key recyclable categories, Non-metropolitan, 2013
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5.4.2
Detailed composition
Figures 26, 27 and 28 illustrate the percentage of the key recyclables for each area of Victoria, metropolitan
and non-metropolitan respectively.
Statewide, the data show that most of the recyclable material was:
o
compliant paper and cardboard which was 0.43kg/hh/wk and 4.4% of the garbage stream
(or 40.8% of the recyclable material)
o
compliant plastics which was 0.24kg/hh/wk and 2.5% of the garbage stream (or 23.1% of
the recyclable material)
o
compliant glass which was 0.21kg/hh/wk and 2.2% of the garbage stream (or 20.4% of the
recyclable material)
Figure 26 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Victoria, 2013
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Figure 27 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Metropolitan, 2013
Figure 28 -
Recyclables composition in the garbage stream, Non-metropolitan, 2013
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Table 25 and Figure 29 provide the detailed composition of the garbage stream by weight and proportion.
Table 25 -
Garbage stream composition, Victoria, 2013
Weight
(kg/household/week)
Category
Recyclables
Potentially
recyclable
Organics
Other waste
Percentage
Metro *
Non-metro
Victoria
Metro *
Non-metro
Victoria
Compliant paper and
cardboard
0.37
0.58
0.43
3.9
5.7
4.4
Compliant LPB containers
0.02
0.03
0.02
0.2
0.3
0.3
Compliant glass
0.18
0.29
0.21
1.9
2.8
2.2
Compliant plastics
0.23
0.28
0.24
2.4
2.7
2.5
Compliant steel
0.09
0.14
0.10
0.9
1.3
1.0
Compliant aluminium
0.01
0.05
0.02
0.1
0.5
0.2
Other aluminium
Sub-total
Other steel
0.02
0.92
0.11
0.00
1.37
0.10
0.02
1.05
0.10
0.2
9.7
1.1
0.0
13.4
1.0
0.2
10.8
1.1
Other rigid plastic mouldings
Sub-total
0.06
0.17
0.18
0.28
0.09
0.21
0.6
1.7
1.7
2.7
0.9
2.0
Food/kitchen (loose)
3.31
2.67
3.13
34.7
26.1
32.2
Food in unopened packets
0.27
0.12
0.23
2.9
1.1
2.3
Garden/vegetation
0.98
1.63
1.16
10.3
16.0
12.0
Other paper
0.54
0.25
0.46
5.7
2.5
4.7
Other putrescible
0.34
0.43
0.37
3.6
4.2
3.8
Sub-total
All other waste
5.44
3.00
5.08
3.46
5.34
3.13
57.1
31.5
49.9
33.9
55.0
32.2
Total^
9.53
10.21
9.72
100.0
100.0
100.0
* Based on the Get It Right On Bin Night 2012 pre-campaign data
^ Rounding of figures may cause some variance with totals
Table 26 provides a comparison of some of the comparable garbage stream categories sorted in the
metropolitan area in the 2012 and 2013 audits. The total mean bin weight is very similar which suggests a
high level of accuracy in the results.
Table 26 -
Garbage stream comparison in 2012 and 2013 pre metro
Category
Weight
(kg/household/week)
Percentage
Metro 2012
Metro 2013
Food/kitchen (loose)
3.31
3.56
34.7
37.5
Food in unopened packets
0.27
0.18
2.9
1.9
Other waste
3.00
4.74
31.5
49.9
Total garbage bin
9.53
9.50
100.0
100.0
Sustainability Victoria Statewide Bin Audits Report 2013
Metro 2012
47 | P a g e
Metro 2013
Figure 29 -
Garbage stream composition, Victoria, 2013
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6 Discussion
The project provides baseline data on food waste, household chemicals and recyclables in household
garbage bins from an audit of 200 households in four metropolitan council areas and four non-metropolitan
council areas, i.e. 1600 households in total. This is the first such detailed audit undertaken by Sustainability
Victoria.
Statewide, the mean garbage bin weight was 9.7 kilograms per household per week overall, with a lower
yield in the metropolitan area (9.5 kg/hh/wk) compared to the non-metropolitan area (10.2 kg/hh/wk).
Results per household per week of the three streams audited were:



food waste – 3.4 kg/hh/wk (35.6%)
recyclables – 1.1 kg (10.8%)
household chemicals – 0.2 kg (2%).
Any material not the subject of this audit was categorised as Other, which included green organics, nappies
and textiles.
Comparing metropolitan areas to non-metropolitan, the yield of food waste per household was higher in
metropolitan than non-metropolitan areas while the amounts of household chemicals and recyclables were
higher in non-metropolitan areas.
Food
Food waste was divided into three categories: avoidable, possibly avoidable and unavoidable, and each of
these had a number of sub categories, based on those used by WRAP in the UK.
At 64.4%, avoidable food waste – the food that could have been eaten – was the most significant
component of food waste in the garbage bin and the most wasted items were bakery (16%), leftover meals
(13%), dairy/eggs (9%) and fresh vegetables (8%). Metropolitan councils had much higher amounts in the
bakery and dairy/ egg waste categories than non-metropolitan councils, while the reverse occurred with
leftover meals and fresh vegetables.
The disposal of food that could have been eaten is a waste of money to households and to councils which
spend considerable money on collection and disposal and if it is disposed of to landfill, food waste also
produces the greenhouse gas methane – all making a strong case to target avoidable food with waste
minimisation initiatives.
Research could be undertaken to quantify the overall value of avoidable food disposed of by households
and consideration could be given to conducting further audits to sub-sort categories such as the dairy/eggs
category because of the varying economic value of milk, eggs, yoghurt, cheese, etc.
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During the audits, reasons were ascribed to the avoidable food waste. While the reasons were not covered
in the report as they were assumptions, they nonetheless provide a general feel.
Nearly three quarters of food was deemed not to have been used in time either because it appeared to have
passed a date label or had gone rotten, mouldy or looked as though it would have tasted or smelt bad. The
other main reason for avoidable food waste was meal leftovers – thought to be about a fifth – showing that
too much was cooked, prepared or served. The remainder consisted of food in unopened packets or
containers (which could also have passed its use by date).
However, as it is not possible to determine with certainty the reasons for disposal of edible food based on
bin audits alone, additional research based on WRAP’s definitions as above would be useful.
A further point about food in unopened packets or containers is that packaging was mainly compliant
plastics and compliant glass, so not only was the food wasted, but the containers were not recovered for
recycling. Food in unopened packaging comprised 1.7% of the garbage stream, with a higher yield of food in
metropolitan councils (0.14 kg/hh/wk) compared to non-metropolitan councils (0.09 kg/hh/wk).
Unavoidable food waste was approximately a quarter of the food waste being thrown out by weight (23.9%)
and over two thirds of this was skins. It could be useful to conduct future audits to sub sort the skins
category into various types because of the large component of the overall audited material (which included
skins of several fruit and cores).
Unavoidable food should be targeted with resource recovery initiatives, such as home composting, animal
feed and kerbside collection programs as they come on stream for food, either dedicated or combined with
garden organics. Kerbside collections programs can include providing households with kitchen caddies
and/or biobags and a bin service for food waste.
Clarification of the process for handling unused tea bags and coffee grounds in the audit method should be
considered, as currently all used and unused tea bags and coffee grounds that are not in sealed unopened
packets are classified as unavoidable. Therefore, unused products that are not in unopened packets could
be miss-classified as unavoidable. As experienced by WRAP (2009, p79), this can be important if further
research is conducted, particularly for social research and food diaries.
Possibly avoidable food waste was about 11% of the food being thrown out statewide. Again, additional
research could be useful to understand the reasons for disposal, for example whether it is habit, recipe
requirement, etc. Future audits could also include sub-sorting the types of possibly avoidable food (potato,
carrot peelings, broccoli stems, cabbage leaves, etc).
To enable a fuller picture of food waste generation and its disposal, further research could also be useful to
quantify other methods that are being used by households to manage food waste namely disposal to
sewer, compost bin or source-separated food waste collection or for use as food for pets.
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Household Chemicals
Statewide, household chemicals made up the smallest proportion of the garbage stream at 2%. Chemicals
collected in the Detox Your Home service made up 29% of the household chemicals. There was a higher
yield of household chemicals in non-metropolitan councils (0.34 kg/hh/wk) compared to metropolitan
councils (0.13 kg/hh/wk).
The four main items collected were household alkaline batteries (22.5%), car batteries (19.6%), paint
(14.2%) and pharmaceuticals (10.7%). Household alkaline batteries were the most numerous single item
audited with a statewide average of 21 batteries per household per year. There were only three car batteries
audited in the non-metropolitan areas and none in the metropolitan areas.
While the amount of household chemicals was higher in non-metropolitan areas, it is difficult to attribute
reasons with any certainty due to the number of variables. However it is possible that there could be a
higher use in non-metropolitan areas because of the nature of activities (e.g. farming), more limited
availability of Detox Your Home locations and fewer hard waste collection services.
Statewide, e-waste was also a significant component of household chemicals at 53.7% with an average of
17 items per household per year. As individual materials vary substantially by weight the respective hazard
should not only be determined by weight. For example, a larger e-waste item like a keyboard may be
heavier but not be more hazardous than a lighter item such as an AA battery or a Compact Fluorescent
Light (CFL) due to a more inert proportion of content. While resource recovery targets aim to minimise the
weight of material disposed of, consideration should also be given to the disposal of household chemicals
by number.
Further research could be undertaken to consider why the amounts of household chemicals were higher in
non-metropolitan than metropolitan areas. This may include research on the availability of Detox Your Home
program locations, the impact of clean-up hard waste services in each area, and factors that affect the
generation rate. Additional samples would be needed for greater accuracy given the small size of this
waste stream compared to food waste and recyclables.
Recyclables
Statewide, recyclables made up nearly 11% of the garbage stream and the main items were compliant
paper and cardboard (4.4%), compliant plastics (2.5%) and compliant glass (2.2%).
There was a higher yield in non-metropolitan councils (1.37 kg/hh/wk) compared to metropolitan councils
(0.92 kg/hh/wk).
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Potentially recyclable material – including other rigid plastic mouldings that are not containers and other
metal – was also higher in the non-metropolitan area (0.27 kg/hh/wk) compared to the metropolitan area
(0.16 kg/hh/wk). In some metropolitan councils, these are acceptable at a MRF and this may explain the
lower yield in metropolitan areas.
The impact of the government’s GIROBN program in regional Victoria will enable monitoring of
performance. Further results of audits of recyclables in both garbage and recycling bins for no-metropolitan
councils will be covered in detail in a separate report for the pre- and post-GIROBN campaign in regional
Victoria.
Any trials or programs developed in waste minimisation and resource recovery in the garbage stream
should continue to be monitored. Additional audits should be conducted on the garbage stream at an
individual household level to determine the differences in individual household performance and analyse the
results based on households of various sizes and socio-economic variables. Audits should also be
conducted in different seasons to understand seasonal factors and the impact of holidays and festivals on
domestic food waste generation.
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7 Conclusions
The audits identify key areas for waste avoidance and reduction in the garbage stream where initiatives
could be put in place or expanded.
Of the three categories audited, food waste accounted for a third of the garbage stream, and avoidable and
possibly avoidable food waste was over 70%. The disposal of food that could have been eaten is a waste of
money to households and to councils and costs, coupled with the environmental impacts in landfill, make a
strong case to target avoidable food with waste minimisation initiatives.
In the household chemicals category, the four main items collected were household alkaline batteries, car
batteries, paint and pharmaceuticals. Household alkaline batteries were the most numerous single item.
The amount of household chemicals was higher in non-metropolitan areas and could be worth greater
targeting in future, however it is difficult to attribute reasons with any certainty due to variables such as
availability of collection services.
Recyclables were a tenth of the garbage stream consisting mostly of compliant materials: paper and
cardboard, plastics and glass. These findings will help in future planning to increase material for recycling.
Current programs such as GIROBN should continue to be monitored, and future research, additional audits
and waste minimisation initiatives should be carried out in an effort to reduce waste in the garbage stream.
This could be done through social research, resource recovery initiatives, kerbside collection programs,
generation rates, education and community awareness.
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Glossary
Avoidable food – food and drink thrown away because it is no longer wanted or has been allowed to go
past its best. Most of avoidable food is composed of material that was, at some point prior to disposal,
edible, even though a proportion is not edible at the time of disposal due to deterioration (e.g. gone mouldy).
In contrast to ‘possibly avoidable’ (see below), the category of ‘avoidable’ includes foods or parts of food
that are considered edible by most people. (WRAP, 2009, p23)
Household chemicals – materials accepted in the Detox Your Home program and all other materials that
contain chemicals that are hazardous to the environment as shown in Table 3.
Possibly avoidable food – food and drink that some people eat and others do not (e.g. bread crusts), or
that can be eaten when prepared in one way but not in another (e.g. potato skins). As with ‘avoidable’
waste, ‘possibly avoidable’ waste is composed of material that was, at some point prior to disposal, edible.
(WRAP, 2009, p23).
Recyclables – material that is permitted to be placed into recycling bins (generally yellow lid bins) for
recycling. A list of recyclables as accepted by most MRFs is assumed based on the materials agreed that
were generally recyclable in Victoria in the GIROBN audits of 2012 as shown in Table 4.
Unavoidable food – waste arising from food and drink preparation that is not, and has not been, edible
under normal circumstances. This includes pineapple skin, apple cores, meat bones, tea bags, and coffee
grounds.. (WRAP, 2009, p23)
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Abbreviations
APC
Australian Packaging Covenant
AHW
Absorbent Hygiene Waste
AWD
Australian Waste Database
AWT
Alternative Waste Treatment (or Technology)
AS
Australian Standard
CFL
Compact Fluorescent Light (globes)
EPS
Expanded Polystyrene
GIROBN
Get It Right on Bin Night
HDPE
High Density Polyethylene
HH
Household
KG
Kilogram
LDPE or LLDPE
Low Density Polyethylene
LGA
Local Government Authority
Metro
Metropolitan
MGB
Mobile Garbage Bin
MRF
Materials Recovery Facility
MSW
Municipal Solid Waste
MUD
Multiple Unit Dwelling
MWMG
Metropolitan Waste Management Group
OH&S
Occupational Health and Safety
OHSMS
Occupational Health and Safety Management System
PET
Polyethylene Terephthalate
PP
Polypropylene
PPE
Personal Protective Equipment
PS
Polystyrene
PVC
Polyvinyl Chloride
SV
Sustainability Victoria
SUD
Single Unit (Occupancy) Dwelling
WEEE
Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment
WK
Week
WRAP
Waste and Resources Action Programme
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Appendix 1 – Audit Photos
Figure 30 provides some relevant audit pictures of the project methods. Figures 30 to 36 provide photos for
the streams sorted.
Photos of avoidable food
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1. Vegetables 2.Bakery products 3.Meat 4.Salad 5.Fruit 6.Sweets & lollies
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Photos of unavoidable food
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1. Banana peels, onion skins, squashed lemons 2. Egg shell, corn cobs & bones 3.Tea bags. 4. Corn silage
5 -6. Skins.
Photos of possibly avoidable food
1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
1. Pumpkin peelings 2. Outer leaves and stems 3. Peelings. 4. Outer leaves 5. Broccoli stems etc. 6. Apple
peelings etc.
Photos of drinks
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Photos of chemical household materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
1-8. chemicals such as glass cleaner (1), soaps (2), household alkaline batteries (3), aerosol cans (4), paint
(5), car batteries (6), motor oil (7) and nail polish (8).
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Photos of other household materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1-6. E-waste e.g. toaster and radio (1 and 4), electric blanket (2), power cords and cables (3), computer
accessories (5) and power tools/ drill (6).
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Appendix 2 – Household chemicals by weight
Table 27 -
Household chemicals by weight, Victoria, 2013
Weight (kg/household/wk)
Category
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Acids/alkalis
0.000
0.003
0.001
Aerosol cans
0.003
0.001
0.003
Anti-freeze
0.000
0.000
0.000
Batteries (household akaline)
0.009
0.022
0.013
Batteries (car)
0.000
0.039
0.011
Brake fluid
0.000
0.000
0.000
Car body filler
0.000
0.000
0.000
Cleaners (ammonia based)
Compact fluorescent light globes (CFLs)
and starters
Cooking oil
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.001
0.003
0.002
0.000
0.006
0.002
Coolant
0.000
0.000
0.000
Detergents/ disinfectants/ drain cleaners
0.002
0.002
0.002
Fertiliser
0.000
0.000
0.000
Fire extinguishers
0.000
0.000
0.000
Floor-care products and waxes
0.000
0.002
0.001
Chemicals
Fluorescent tubes
0.000
0.003
0.001
(Detox Your
Fuels (petrol/diesel/kerosene/other)
0.000
0.002
0.001
Home)
Gas cylinders (up to 9kg BBQ/ leisure)
0.000
0.000
0.000
Glues (water based/solvents)
0.001
0.000
0.001
Herbicides/ weed killers
0.000
0.000
0.000
Insect spray/ pesticides
0.000
0.000
0.000
Motor oil
0.000
0.003
0.001
Nail polish/ remover
0.001
0.000
0.001
Oven cleaners
0.000
0.000
0.000
Paint (paint and tin)
0.005
0.015
0.0079
Paint stripper/thinner/turps
0.002
0.000
0.001
Pharmaceuticals
0.006
0.007
0.006
Pool chemicals
0.000
0.000
0.000
Rat poison
0.000
0.000
0.000
Solvents
0.000
0.001
0.000
Transmission fluid
0.000
0.006
0.002
Wood preservatives/ finishes (oils/
varnish)
0.000
0.000
0.000
Sub-total
0.031
0.117
0.056
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Table 27 (continued) Household chemicals by weight, Victoria, 2013
Weight (kg/household/wk)
Category
Other
Metro
Non-metro
Victoria
Brake pads
0.000
0.016
0.004
Cables/ chargers
0.012
0.017
0.014
Computers
Computer accessories (mouse/ keyboard
etc)
Dust
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.001
0.010
0.004
0.000
0.014
0.004
Hazardous mixed fines
0.000
0.003
0.001
Headlights
0.000
0.003
0.001
Incandescent globes
0.002
0.001
0.001
Mobile phones
0.000
0.002
0.001
Needles/ medical
0.000
0.000
0.000
Oil filters
0.000
0.005
0.001
Printer cartridges
0.001
0.001
0.001
Sunscreen
0.000
0.002
0.000
Toiletries/ cosmetics
0.014
0.008
0.013
TVs/monitors
0.000
0.000
0.000
Other e-waste
0.066
0.126
0.083
Other (unknown)
0.006
0.014
0.008
Sub-total
0.103
0.222
0.136
Total
0.134
0.339
0.192
* Some categories listed in Table 3 are not shown in the table above, due to having zero results. These include anti-freeze, asbestos,
brake fluid, car body filler, car wax, car coolant computers fire extinguishers, oven cleaners, pool chemicals, wood preservatives/
finishes (oils/ varnish) and TVs/monitors.
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