Prince and Joseph (2000), defined the waste hierarchy as a sustainable waste management tool that identifies the options most likely to produce the best overall environmental outcome. Achievements and successes in waste management may not be entirely attributed to the application of the waste hierarchy. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the waste hierarchy has had its influence, since it has enjoyed wide support in most developed countries as a guide for waste management (Dijkgraaf and Vollebergh, 2004). The waste management hierarchy dates back to the 1970s, when the environmental movement argued that waste was made of different materials and therefore should be treated differently rather than buried as a homogeneous mass. (Schall 1992). In Australia, the adoption of the waste hierarchy was established as part of the 1992 National Strategy for Environmentally Sustainable Development (the National Strategy for ESD) by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The waste hierarchy is a preferential order of waste treatment options that aims to reduce environmental impacts by prioritizing prevention, reuse, recycling and recovery over landfill (Hultman and Corvellec, 2012). The ACT can be described as the leading waste management jurisdiction in Australia. However, in 2010-2011 the ACT generated 2.6 tonnes of waste per capita, which was the highest level alongside Western Australia (WGRRiA, 2013). There are also concerns about the growing population of not only the ACT, but also Queanbeyan and the surrounding region, where the ACT acts as a regional waste hub. (Hamilton, Denniss and Baker,