In 2004 NSW DECC also undertook studies to estimate the the quantities and composition of mixed C&D waste disposed at Sydney landfills. Plasterboard waste was estimated to be around 4 percent of the total C&D waste stream with an expected tonnage range of between 10,000 and 25,000 tonnes per annum. The DECC testing called anything under 4.75mm aggregate where it was estimated the plasterboard component was over 10%.
The QLD government undertook studies in 2002 to ascertain the amount of plasterboard waste in the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream. The percentage of waste will vary significantly depending on the building being constructed or demolished but the average composition of demolition waste is shown below.
In Melbourne, trials by Fletcher Constructions on two commercial building sites found plasterboard represented 20 percent of the site waste generated. McDonald, B. Recon: Waste Minimisation and Recycling Program, Fletcher Construction Australia Pty Ltd, 1994.
Studies in North America have shown that whereas plasterboard makes up less than 1 percent of the total waste stream, it comprises in excess of 15 percent of C&D waste. Hede, D. Construction and Demolition Waste and Site Contamination, Construction and Demolition Waste Conference .97, Brisbane, April 1997.
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