The Sydney Metropolitan Region presently generates about 4 M tonnes per annum of Solid Wastes which can be divided into Community and Council Waste, Industrial and Commercial Waste and Construction and Demolition Waste. There is a decreasing trend in waste quantities during the past few years which may have been the result of waste minimisation strategies along the lines of the Waste Management Hierarchy. Waste Management Hierarchy is the conceptual tool used in designing Sustainable Waste Management strategies. Source-reduction is the best waste management strategy. In order to achieve this, a sound understanding of factors affecting the waste generation and composition should be acquired.
Economic factors influence the waste generation.
The influence of these factors on waste composition was not clearly established by this study. Amid the development of present revolutionary waste management approaches, some Councils still manage their waste in the same manner as they have been doing for several decades. Landfill disposal is still the main disposal method and there is hardly any sign of reduction in waste quantities in the future. Sustainable Waste Management strategies are fully backed by Government with intuitional support and financial support. Councils focus on Sustainable Waste Management strategies as revealed by their documents.