1300.1.55.001 - Statistics News NSW, Mar 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/03/2007   
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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: PEOPLE'S VIEWS AND PRACTICES

The twelfth edition of Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices (cat. no. 4602.0) presents information on household waste management, motor vehicle ownership, maintenance and the use of transport, all of which have implications for resources use, pollution and greenhouse emissions.

Some of the main findings include:

  • NSW has the highest proportion of households with no registered car in 2006, at 13%.
  • Around two-thirds (67%) of people in NSW travelled to work or study in a private motor vehicle as a driver, and 4% were passengers.
  • 19% of people used some form of public transport while 5% of people walked.
  • The use of public transport in NSW (19%) is the highest in Australia, for which the national average was 14%.
  • The main reasons for not using public transport in NSW were that 'no service was available at all' (29%), 'convenience/ comfort/ privacy in one's own vehicle was preferred' (23%), and 'no service was available at the right/convenient time' (22%).
  • In 2006, 98% of households in NSW recycled, while 84% of households reused their waste. 1% of households neither recycled or reused their waste items. The most common items recycled and/or reused in NSW were paper/cardboard/newspapers (93%), glass (91%) and plastic bottles (91%). The least recycled and/or reused items were motor oil (11%) and kitchen or food waste (44%).

For further information contact Apolonio Basilio on (02) 6252 7433, email client.services@abs.gov.au.