Benefits of Recycling Calculator
If you are using Office 2003 you will need to save the calculator to your desktop, before viewing any results. You may also need to enable macros to use this Recycling Calculator. You can do this by following the instructions below:
Open calculator and select 'Tools', 'Macro', 'Security' from the main toolbar. Then select 'Medium' as the security level for the document. Save and re-open the calculator to enable the macros for calculations.
If you are using Office 2007, you will need to enable macros to use this Recycling Calculator. You can do this by following the instructions below:
Open calculator and check ‘Security Warning’ bar at top. Click on ‘options’ and then on 'enable this content’ and this will enable the required macros. Then click on ‘Start’.
If you have any difficulties, please contact the web co-ordinator.
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View Benefits of recycling explanatory notes and reports
The environmental benefits associated with recycling different materials, based on typical kerbside collection systems used in Western Australia and current average yields, have been quantified in a study funded by the Waste Authority. This has resulted in the development of an online calculator which determines the benefits of recycling.
Domestic kerbside recycling is making a substantial contribution to the improvement of our environment by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, delivering significant energy and water savings, as well as conserving non-renewable virgin resources.
Approximately 138,000 tonnes of recyclable materials are collected for reprocessing from domestic kerbside collections in WA each year. Recycling of these materials presents significant benefits economically as well as environmentally. Whilst householders do not directly receive these benefits as dollar savings, their efforts in participating in household recycling and increasing recycling recovery rates are making a substantial difference to the overall health of our environment.
The study looked at the following dry recyclable materials and did not include the benefits of recycling organic matter into composts:
- paper/cardboard
- glass
- steel cans
- aluminium
- liquid paper board (LPB – e.g. milk cartons); and
- plastics (PET, HDPE, PVC and PP).
Greenhouse Benefits
Assessing the greenhouse gas savings from recycling, the study found that a typical household that is recycling 4 – 5 kilograms per week (net) is the equivalent of taking one car off the road for the year.
On a state-wide basis, kerbside recycling is avoiding the release of over 123,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas, equivalent to taking 40,000 cars off the roads.
Energy Benefits
In terms of energy savings, which are the offsets in electricity delivery, process heat and transport, the typical household that participates in kerbside recycling delivers a saving of over 190 kilo-Watt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. This is equivalent to saving nearly eight months of an average household’s lighting requirements.
On a state wide level, current recycling rates are resulting in savings that are equivalent to 120,000 Mega-Watt hours of electricity annually. This amount of electricity could power nearly 20,000 homes for a year.
Water Benefits
Water savings are also a benefit of kerbside recycling, with a typical recycling household contributing a saving of 2,400 litres. This would provide enough water to cover an average house- hold’s hand washing requirements for nearly 70 days.
On a state wide scale, some 1.5 mega litres of water are being saved each year through the efforts of householders participating in kerbside recycling. This is the same volume of water required by nearly 9000 homes.
Landfill Space Savings
By removing recyclables from landfill, we are not only saving valuable resources, but we are prolonging the life of existing landfills. Over 400,000 cubic metres or nearly 11,000 shipping containers worth of material was diverted from landfills through recycling last year.
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(NOTE: To ensure correct use of calculator, enable macros on prompt, then save to your desktop)
Benefits of Recycling Calculator: Depratment of Environment and Conservation Summary Sheet
A brief summary document illustrating the purpose and study conducted with the calculator.
Published: 2008-08-22
Benefits of Recycling Calculator: Calculator Explanatory Notes, Final Report August 2008
Hyder Consulting was commissioned by the Department of Environment and
Conservation in Western Australia (DEC) to develop a tool aimed at increasing
awareness and understanding of the environmental benefits of collecting and recycling
commodity materials from the kerbside.
Approximately 138,000 tonnes of post consumer materials are
collected for reprocessing, from domestic kerbside collections in Western Australia
(WA) each year. Recycling of these materials presents significant benefits
economically as well as environmentally.
Published: 2008-08-22
Benefits of Recycling Calculator Tool
This is a tool to calculate and demonstrate the environmental benefits of recycling in Western Australia. It is intended to be used to estimate or predict the benefits of current or future recycling and primarily relates to recyclables collected at the kerbside. The tool is designed to be used by council waste practitioners and by householders. Waste practitioners can use the tool to the benefits of recycling in the State or Local Government Area (LGA). If you are a householder, the tool will enable you to determine the benefits of your recycling efforts.
Published: 2008-08-22
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