Description: This dataset estimates the location and mass in tonnes of the organic component of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) received at waste and transfer facilities across NSW, Australia. This information was originally collated for the Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA) project and has been updated several times. It is available for use in the NSW BioSMART tool (Biomass Spatial and Modular Assessment of Resources Tool - https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forestry/science/forest-carbon/biomass-for-bioenergy/nsw-biosmart) and on the National Map (https://nationalmap.gov.au/) platform.
The boundary features were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS 2016) digital boundaries [Copyright Commonwealth of Australia administered by the ABS]. This dataset is mapped at the Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).
Each SA2 region shows the annual average tonnes of organic MSW waste for the period July 2018 to June 2023 (average of 5 years). The organic groups reported in this layer are FOOD, PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS.
FOOD represents ‘food or kitchen’ and food products. PAPER OR CARDBOARD represents ‘paper or cardboard’ and paper products. VEGETATION OR COMPOST represents ‘vegetation or garden’, ‘composts or mulches’ and ‘biosolids or manures’ (Note: ‘vegetation or garden’ was the major component of this group). WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS represents ‘wood, trees and timber’ and wood products. The organic waste totals were derived using data provided by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and from research carried out by the NSW Forest Science unit, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry.
At the facility level, waste data was collated by waste stream, reporting year and EPA material composition type (BIO, COMP, FOOD, MIX, MWOO, MWOOL, PAPER, VEG, WOOD), comparing the Waste Disposed, Waste Recovered and Waste Transported to determine the Waste Received. Each facility’s organic material composition data was then sorted and grouped into an SA2 region, waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and year (2018-23 FY). The organic material compositions within MIX, MWOO and MWOOL was then determined using the EPA National Waste Database 2014-15 audit of MIX waste by waste stream and that data added to the relevant organic material composition for each year. The EPA material composition types were then collapsed into our four organic groups (FOOD, PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS) for each waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and the annual average tonnes calculated for the timeframe 2018-23 FY.
Note: Due to source variation and ‘mixed’ receival of waste at waste and transfer facilities it is impractical to define an absolute moisture content (MC) for the organic groups. For this reason, the mass in tonnes is only presented as the ‘as received at facilities’ MC and the dataset does not present an estimated dry tonnes at 0% MC or wet tonnes at a specific MC.
EPA waste streams acronyms:
MSW – Municipal Solid Waste
C&I – Commercial and Industrial
C&D – Construction and Demolition
EPA material composition acronyms:
BIO – biosolids or manures
COMP – composts or mulches
FOOD – food or kitchen
MIX – mixed waste
MWOO – mixed waste organic output
MWOOL – mixed waste organic output - levied
PAPER – paper or cardboard
VEG – vegetation or garden
WOOD – wood, trees or timber
For more information on the derivation of the residue volumes please contact the NSW Forest Science unit.
Please note: the NSW EPA data collection system changed since we first collated this information for the 2012-15 FY organic waste datasets. The EPA updated their reporting system between our 2012-15 FY dataset and 2015-18FY dataset. The main difference between the totals for 2012-15 FY and more current versions is due to the inclusion of waste that goes to recycling. This dataset (2018-23FY) refers to waste received at waste and transfer facilities within a region pre-recycling separation, whereas the 2012-15 FY dataset referred to post-recycling separated data.
Last updated in May 2025.
Copyright Text: NSW Forest Science, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry
Description: This dataset estimates the location and mass in tonnes of the organic component of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste received at waste and transfer facilities across NSW, Australia. This information was originally collated for the Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA) project and has been updated several times. It is available for use in the NSW BioSMART tool (Biomass Spatial and Modular Assessment of Resources Tool - https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forestry/science/forest-carbon/biomass-for-bioenergy/nsw-biosmart) and on the National Map (https://nationalmap.gov.au/) platform.
The boundary features were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS 2016) digital boundaries [Copyright Commonwealth of Australia administered by the ABS]. This dataset is mapped at the Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).
Each SA2 region shows the annual average tonnes of organic C&I waste for the period July 2018 to June 2023 (average of 5 years). The organic groups reported in this layer are FOOD, PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS.
FOOD represents ‘food or kitchen’ and food products. PAPER OR CARDBOARD represents ‘paper or cardboard’ and paper products. VEGETATION OR COMPOST represents ‘vegetation or garden’, ‘composts or mulches’ and ‘biosolids or manures’ (Note: ‘vegetation or garden’ was the major component of this group). WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS represents ‘wood, trees and timber’ and wood products. The organic waste totals were derived using data provided by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and from research carried out by the NSW Forest Science unit, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry.
At the facility level, waste data was collated by waste stream, reporting year and EPA material composition type (BIO, COMP, FOOD, MIX, MWOO, MWOOL, PAPER, VEG, WOOD), comparing the Waste Disposed, Waste Recovered and Waste Transported to determine the Waste Received. Each facility’s organic material composition data was then sorted and grouped into an SA2 region, waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and year (2018-23 FY). The organic material compositions within MIX, MWOO and MWOOL was then determined using the EPA National Waste Database 2014-15 audit of MIX waste by waste stream and that data added to the relevant organic material composition for each year. The EPA material composition types were then collapsed into our four organic groups (FOOD, PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS) for each waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and the annual average tonnes calculated for the timeframe 2018-23 FY.
Note: Due to source variation and ‘mixed’ receival of waste at waste and transfer facilities it is impractical to define an absolute moisture content (MC) for the organic groups. For this reason, the mass in tonnes is only presented as the ‘as received at facilities’ MC and the dataset does not present an estimated dry tonnes at 0% MC or wet tonnes at a specific MC.
EPA waste streams acronyms:
MSW – Municipal Solid Waste
C&I – Commercial and Industrial
C&D – Construction and Demolition
EPA material composition acronyms:
BIO – biosolids or manures
COMP – composts or mulches
FOOD – food or kitchen
MIX – mixed waste
MWOO – mixed waste organic output
MWOOL – mixed waste organic output - levied
PAPER – paper or cardboard
VEG – vegetation or garden
WOOD – wood, trees or timber
For more information on the derivation of the residue volumes please contact the NSW Forest Science unit.
Please note: the NSW EPA data collection system changed since we first collated this information for the 2012-15 FY organic waste datasets. The EPA updated their reporting system between our 2012-15 FY dataset and 2015-18FY dataset. The main difference between the totals for 2012-15 FY and more current versions is due to the inclusion of waste that goes to recycling. This dataset (2018-23FY) refers to waste received at waste and transfer facilities within a region pre-recycling separation, whereas the 2012-15 FY dataset referred to post-recycling separated data.
Last updated in May 2025.
Copyright Text: NSW Forest Science, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry
Description: This dataset estimates the location and mass in tonnes of the organic component of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste received at waste and transfer facilities across NSW, Australia. This information was originally collated for the Australian Biomass for Bioenergy Assessment (ABBA) project and has been updated several times. It is available for use in the NSW BioSMART tool (Biomass Spatial and Modular Assessment of Resources Tool - https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forestry/science/forest-carbon/biomass-for-bioenergy/nsw-biosmart) and on the National Map (https://nationalmap.gov.au/) platform.
The boundary features were extracted from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS 2016) digital boundaries [Copyright Commonwealth of Australia administered by the ABS]. This dataset is mapped at the Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).
Each SA2 region shows the annual average tonnes of organic C&D waste for the period July 2018 to June 2023 (average of 5 years). The organic groups reported in this layer are PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS. Note: FOOD is not reported for C&D as it shouldn’t occur in this waste stream.
FOOD represents ‘food or kitchen’ and food products. PAPER OR CARDBOARD represents ‘paper or cardboard’ and paper products. VEGETATION OR COMPOST represents ‘vegetation or garden’, ‘composts or mulches’ and ‘biosolids or manures’ (Note: ‘vegetation or garden’ was the major component of this group). WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS represents ‘wood, trees and timber’ and wood products. The organic waste totals were derived using data provided by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and from research carried out by the NSW Forest Science unit, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry.
At the facility level, waste data was collated by waste stream, reporting year and EPA material composition type (BIO, COMP, FOOD, MIX, MWOO, MWOOL, PAPER, VEG, WOOD), comparing the Waste Disposed, Waste Recovered and Waste Transported to determine the Waste Received. Each facility’s organic material composition data was then sorted and grouped into an SA2 region, waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and year (2018-23 FY). The organic material compositions within MIX, MWOO and MWOOL was then determined using the EPA National Waste Database 2014-15 audit of MIX waste by waste stream and that data added to the relevant organic material composition for each year. The EPA material composition types were then collapsed into our four organic groups (FOOD, PAPER OR CARDBOARD, VEGETATION OR COMPOST and WOOD OR WOOD PRODUCTS) for each waste stream (MSW, C&I and C&D) and the annual average tonnes calculated for the timeframe 2018-23 FY.
Note: Due to source variation and ‘mixed’ receival of waste at waste and transfer facilities it is impractical to define an absolute moisture content (MC) for the organic groups. For this reason, the mass in tonnes is only presented as the ‘as received at facilities’ MC and the dataset does not present an estimated dry tonnes at 0% MC or wet tonnes at a specific MC.
EPA waste streams acronyms:
MSW – Municipal Solid Waste
C&I – Commercial and Industrial
C&D – Construction and Demolition
EPA material composition acronyms:
BIO – biosolids or manures
COMP – composts or mulches
FOOD – food or kitchen
MIX – mixed waste
MWOO – mixed waste organic output
MWOOL – mixed waste organic output - levied
PAPER – paper or cardboard
VEG – vegetation or garden
WOOD – wood, trees or timber
For more information on the derivation of the residue volumes please contact the NSW Forest Science unit.
Please note: the NSW EPA data collection system changed since we first collated this information for the 2012-15 FY organic waste datasets. The EPA updated their reporting system between our 2012-15 FY dataset and 2015-18FY dataset. The main difference between the totals for 2012-15 FY and more current versions is due to the inclusion of waste that goes to recycling. This dataset (2018-23FY) refers to waste received at waste and transfer facilities within a region pre-recycling separation, whereas the 2012-15 FY dataset referred to post-recycling separated data.
Last updated in May 2025.
Copyright Text: NSW Forest Science, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development - Forestry