Investigation of the social and economic impacts of cross-regional mobility of construction and demolition waste in Australia

A large amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Australia has been transported cross-state and cross-country for landfilling or recycling, which affected the performance of the waste management sector. However, there is a lack of practical method to evaluate the impacts. A method is developed in this study to evaluate the economic and social impacts of the cross-regional mobility of C&D waste in Australia. Due to exporting waste overseas, the Australian waste management industry lost 205.16 million AUD, and lost 253.56 p full-time equivalent employment opportunity. The cross-border flow of C&D waste within Australia significantly influenced the economic and social performance of waste management sector of states or territories exporting or receiving the waste. Specifically, QLD is the state that lost the most significant industry income accounting for 222.93 million AUD; NSW lost 1,154.67 p full-time equivalent employment, while ACT is the largest beneficiary regarding the gain of employment due to the mobility of C&D waste. The study not only proposes determines to evaluate the economic and social impacts of the mobility of C&D waste, but also provides practical information to the Australian waste management sector. For instance, if the industry wants to retain more income and employment within Australia, the export of C&D waste overseas should be minimised.

Automated summary

A large amount of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste in Australia has been transported across states and countries for landfilling or recycling, which has affected the performance of the waste management sector. However, there is a lack of practical methods to evaluate the impacts. This study develops a method to evaluate the economic and social impacts of the cross-regional mobility of C&D waste in Australia.