Rationale - what it means and why it is an important measure
Waste production and disposal place major pressures on the environment. A reduction of generated waste demands a change in actions and in attitudes. This indicator measures the extent that the inhabitants in a community or city are taking measures to reduce the amount of waste produced and disposed.
How it is compiled, what data are needed
The percentage of the population that is adapting their behavior to reduce waste generation and disposal.
Measurements and units
Public participation in waste reduction (%)
Possible temporal and spatial format
graphs, trend charts, maps, pie chart
Reference to methodology resources
New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, 1997. The Future of NSW State of the Environment Reporting: Discussion Paper, NSW Core indicators. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/soe/issues/paper.htm
Objective
To reduce the amount of waste produced and disposed.
Targets, benchmarks, reference values
No specific targets
References to examples of application
Other comments / background
The main solid waste sources are domestic waste, services sectors and industrial activities that generate industrial waste, toxic wastes and radio-active waste.