The crisis facing the waste recycling industry in Australia is deepening, with NSW just "one month behind" Victoria, as calls mount for the Turnbull government to intervene.

Linda Scott, president of Local Government NSW, told a Senate inquiry into the waste and recycling industry that the state's kerbside collection woes were now "in the vicinity" of Victoria's.

"We know that 13 [Victorian] rural councils have received advice from their waste collector that they’re unable to continue their services," Cr Scott told the inquiry on Wednesday. "And we know we have a number of councils [in NSW] that have actively been investigating the possibilities" should collection cease.

NSW is set to follow Victoria as facing a waste 'crisis' after China ended imports.

China introduced bans on the import of certain waste products on January 1, a move that hit Australia as one nation that had been relying on collecting material and exporting it rather than processing it at home.