​Waste disposal is one of the major environmental issues facing NSW and especially metropolitan Sydney. The majority of waste is buried in landfill depots. The problem is that these landfills are set to be full by the end of the decade. This difficulty is compounded by local community opposition to the siting of new landfills in their district, or the enlargement of existing ones.

In the last couple of years the government has proposed opening new or enlarging existing landfill depots. These proposals have all been shelved. Now, in an attempt to extend existing landfill life, the government has made a commitment to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of by half by the year 2000 (using 1990 levels as a base). To achieve this, in June 1994 the Government released the waste management strategy 'No Time to Waste'.

In order to appreciate the current waste management regime it is necessary to briefly discuss the history of waste management in Sydney.