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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Petra Stock

Australia’s amount of plastic waste surges as recycling rates fail to improve

AU Australia Murray Watt
Plastic waste
The total amount of plastic waste has doubled since 2005 (from 1.57m tonnes) but recycling rates have barely shifted despite investments in increased capacity. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Plastics recycling rates in Australia have flatlined as the amount of waste continues to grow, the latest government data reveals.

Australians produced 3.2m tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, up from 3m tonnes the previous year, according to Australian plastics flows and fates data released on Friday.

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