4602.0.55.002 - Environmental Issues: Waste Management and Transport Use, Mar 2009 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/11/2009  First Issue
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

GLOSSARY

Any responsible adult

The Any Responsible Adult (ARA) method of interviewing is used in a number of ABS household surveys. This involves obtaining information about all the persons in a selected household who are selected in the survey from the first responsible adult with whom the interviewer makes contact (rather than speaking to each individual personally).

Balance of state/Territory

Comprises the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, and the balance of the six states (excluding the state capital cities).

Central collection point other than a dump/waste transfer station

Includes any central collection point other than the dump/waste transfer station for re-using or recycling materials. For example, containers or bins provided at local shops, scout halls, schools as well as other central collection points for recycling cans, bottles, paper, plastic bags.

Compost

The end product of breaking down organic matter such as plant and animal scraps into the original nutrient form. Rich earth-like soil.

Couple

Two people in a registered or de facto marriage, who usually live in the same household.

Day-to-day travel

Refers to any of the places the respondent travels to as part of their normal daily activities, (e.g. shopping, visiting friends/relatives) other than travel to work or full-time study.

Dependent children

All persons aged under 15 years; and people aged 15-24 years who are full-time students, have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household.

Dump

Land where waste is dumped and later buried. Also referred to as rubbish tip or landfill.

Dwelling

A suite of rooms contained within a building which are self-contained and intended for long-term residential use. To be self-contained, the suite of rooms must possess cooking and bathing facilities as building fixtures. Examples of types of dwelling include: separate house; semi-detached, row or terrace house or townhouse; flat, unit or apartment; and other dwellings, including caravan, cabin, houseboat, and house or flat attached to a shop.

Electronic equipment

Includes computers, mobile phones, TVs, fax machines, scanners, personal computers, servers, monitors, hand-held devices, printers, associated external components such as cable, mouse and keyboards, stereos, DVD players.

Family

Two or more people, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who usually live in the same household. A separate family is formed for each married couple, or for each set of parent-child relationships where only one parent is present.

Fuel types

Regular unleaded petrol - petrol that has zero lead content

Premium unleaded - a high octane fuel which has an octane rating of RON 95 and 98 and is designed for high performance unleaded engines.

Ethanol blend - also known as E10. A blend of 10% ethanol fuel and 90% regular unleaded petrol.

Diesel - a fuel used by vehicles with diesel engines which offers better fuel economy compared to the use of regular unleaded petrol in equivalent engines.

LPG - Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Some motor vehicles have LPG as their only source of fuel.

LPG/Petrol - Some vehicles have tanks for both Liquid Petroleum Gas and unleaded petrol and have the ability to switch between use of the two different fuel types.

Biodiesel - A renewable fuel made from plant oils that can be used in a conventional diesel engine.

Petrol/Electric hybrid - Motor vehicles that run on a combined petrol and electric engine.

Electric - Registered motor vehicles or scooters that run completely on electricity without petrol.

Garden chemicals or their containers

Includes any pesticides or weedicides the household may use in their garden to control weeds, insects, fungi, snails, etc. Excludes garden fertilisers.

Garden waste

Includes any garden waste that may be used for composting or mulching, whether that is personal or given to an organisation for composting or mulching. Excludes any garden waste or lawn clippings removed by person(s) hired for gardening.

Group household

A household consisting of two or more unrelated people where all people are aged 15 years and over. There are no reported couple relationships, parent-child relationships or other blood relationships in these households.

Hazardous waste disposal service or facility

These are services that are equipped to handle hazardous waste items. Specifically, they are defined as being special services that collect hazardous waste items from the home, special areas at the dump/transfer station, businesses or shops that accept the return of these items (e.g. returning used motor vehicle oil to a mechanic, returning old and/or unused medicines to a chemist), or a central collection point other than the dump/waste transfer station.

Hazardous waste items

Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be household hazardous waste.

Household

A group of residents of a dwelling who share common facilities and meals or who consider themselves to be a household. It is possible for a dwelling to contain more than one household, for example, where regular provision is made for groups to take meals separately and where persons consider their households to be separate.

Household appliances

Includes microwave ovens, toasters, hairdryers, electric shavers, sandwich makers, breadmakers, blenders, food processors, kettles.

Kitchen or food waste

Any kitchen or food waste that may be used for composting, whether that is personal composting or given to an organisation for composting.

Lone person household

A household consisting of a person living alone.

Main form of transport

Refers to the form of transport used to travel the greatest distance.

Motor vehicle

Any motor vehicle or motor cycle up to 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM). Includes passenger vehicles such as sedans, wagons, 4WDs, passenger vans, people movers, light commercial vehicles such as utilities, small trucks, vans, panel vans and cab chassis. Excludes heavy trucks, (i.e. trucks greater than 4.5 tonnes GVM), articulated trucks, buses, other heavy vehicles (e.g. ambulances, cranes, farm machinery).

Multiple family household

A household containing two or more families. Unrelated individuals may also be present.

Municipal kerbside recycling collection

Roadside collection of domestic waste separated for the purpose of recycling or reuse of those materials. Kerbside recycling is usually a service provided by local government and funded largely through rate collection.

Non-family household

Consists of unrelated people only. A non-family household can be either a person living alone or a group household.

One family household

A household containing only one family. Unrelated individuals may also be present.

One parent with dependent child(ren)

A one family household comprising a lone parent with at least one dependent child.

Other one family household

A household comprising:

  • one couple, with their non-dependent child(ren) only
  • one couple, with or without their non-dependent child(ren), plus other relatives
  • one couple, with or without their non-dependent child(ren), plus unrelated individuals
  • one parent, with his/her non-dependent child(ren), with or without relatives and unrelated individuals or
  • two or more related individuals where the relationship is not a couple relationship or a parent-child relationship (e.g. two brothers)

Public transport

Any passenger transport service, excluding taxi services, that is organised and provided by any company or co-operative legal entity, either government or privately owned, where a fee for service is charged, and is available for use by all members of the community. It excludes charter services provided by employers/schools.

Recycling

The reformation of used products for use as raw materials in the manufacture of new products, which may or may not be similar to the original.

Registered motor vehicle

Motor cycle or motor vehicle up to 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) that is legally registered.

Registered motor vehicle usually kept at home

Usually kept at home means that the vehicle is kept or garaged at home for the majority of the time and the household's members use it. However, the vehicle does not need to be owned by anyone in the household. The vehicle must be legally registered. Includes household vehicles parked on the street.

Reuse

Recovering value from a discarded item without reprocessing or re-manufacture. Typically this will involve an item being reused in its original function or similar. It does not preclude relatively minor pre-treatments like washing, reconditioning or painting.

State capital city

The areas determining the six state capital cities are the Statistical Divisions for those capital cities defined in the Statistical Geography: Volume 1 - Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) (cat. no. 1216.0).

Waste

Waste is generally defined as any product or substance that has no further use for the person or organisation that generated it, and which is, or will be, discarded. Wastes may be solid, liquid or gaseous and can be hazardous or non-hazardous.

Waste collection or drop-off service

A service that allows for the collection or drop-off of household waste. Specifically, they involve having waste items collected from the house by private collection or as part of municipal kerbside recycling, taking waste to a special area at the dump/waste transfer station for recycling or reuse, or taking waste to a central collection point other than the dump/waste transfer station (including a business or shop).

Waste transfer station

A place where waste is collected and transferred to a larger truck that takes it to the rubbish tip. Also a drop off point for collecting some items that can be recycled or reused.

White goods

Includes fridges, washing machines, dryers.

Work

Persons who work are those who, during the week preceding the week in which the interview was conducted:
  • worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or
  • worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or
  • were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
  • away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or
  • on strike or locked out; or
  • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or
  • were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.