ABSTRACT
Waste management is one of the greatest sustainability challenges for the global economy and environment in the twenty-first century. As a result, Australian governments have identified a need for zero waste, moving away from landfills towards integrated waste management to encourage materials efficiency and the recovery of as wide a range of resources as possible. This chapter highlights global issues and management solutions before discussing Australia's waste management and policy options. Problems with landfills are highlighted, practices constituting the waste hierarchy are analysed, policy options related to integrated waste management are reviewed and, finally, issues associated with litter and recycling are examined. Australian governments are moving away from landfill as the central waste management method towards zero waste and integrated waste management. A zero waste approach to sustainable waste management both slows down the rate of usage of resources and focuses on using resources in cleaner ways.
