‘Red bins won’t be collected by 2030’: Sydney warned of looming waste crisis

Sydney is on the brink of a major waste crisis, with new government data revealing landfill sites could reach full capacity within ten years - a scenario that could see red bin collections grind to a halt across the city.

A report released by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) found that recycling rates have stagnated for more than a decade, while millions of tonnes of household rubbish continue to pile into a handful of landfill sites, including those at Eastern Creek and Lucas Heights.

NSW Climate Change and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe warned the findings should be a wake-up call for the state.

“NSW has a waste and recycling crisis,” she said.

“If we don’t act now ... red bins will not be able to be collected in Sydney and parts of regional NSW by 2030.”.

The report est