Recycle Right, Whitsundays!

The way we dispose of our waste is changing - methods are improving and technology is enabling us to streamline processes - there are countless options to recycle almost anything from car tyres to batteries and mobile phones.

The Whitsunday Regional Council is at the forefront of this change and Manager of Waste Services, David De Jager, said they are currently developing a new Waste Management Strategy which will be rolled out in the coming months.

In the past year, 27 per cent of all waste received as landfill has been diverted, but David said that the biggest problem in regional areas like the Whitsundays is finding a company to purchase and then re-purpose the waste.

“We have no local markets,” he said.

“We have to find markets, and this often means transporting waste off-site which starts to stack up financially.”

Most importantly, though, David said it all starts with us. By adopting sustainable practices in our own households, we can contribute a small part of the bigger picture.

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WHERE DOES MY RECYCLING GO?

While some in the community believe that all recycling gets put back into landfill, this is a myth – local recycling is sent directly to Mackay for processing.

“It heads straight to the Material Recycling Facility in Mackay where it is sorted,” said David De Jager.

“A company called Re-Group sort it, remove all contamination, find markets for it and then it is turned into new products.”

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YELLOW BINS

While many households have yellow recycle bins, most apartment complexes do not. These locations often do not have the space for an additional bin on the premises, but Council are hoping to address this as part of the new strategy.

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SATELLITE TRANSFER STATIONS

There are 15 Satellite Transfer Stations in the Whitsundays and Council is working to transfer as many as possible into kerbside waste pick-up. So far this year, they have managed to close two stations by expanding areas serviced by garbage trucks.

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FOGO

No, this is not an acronym for ‘Fear Of Going Out’, it actually means Food Organics Garden Organics – these waste products represent 42 per cent of what we put in our household rubbish and they are the next big focus in our national waste management plan.

We are all encouraged to use our food waste as fertiliser in our veggie patches or in worm farms. If you don’t have these, then find a friend who does and donate your scraps to them.

One day there will be a third kerbside collection bin for FOGO, in fact, Townsville Council are already trialling one.

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BIGGEST PROBLEMS

• Solar panels that were installed 10 years ago are largely ending their working life and we do not have a local market for them yet, they are currently taken to Townsville

• Soft plastics – Coles shut down there REDcycle program last week. This had been a donation point for ‘anything you can scrunch’, so there is nowhere to dispose of this waste anymore

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RECYCLING RULES

• Follow the instructions on the label, if it has three arrows pointing towards each other in a triangle then it is recyclable

• Never use a plastic bag to recycle – remove contents and place them ‘nude’ into bin or tip

• Only recycle paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass jars and bottles, plastic containers, milk and juice cartons

• Rinse well before placing in recycle bin

Recycle your mobile phone here:

• Your local library

• Your local tip

• Your local phone shop

• Your local Council offices

Recycle old batteries here:

• Your local Bunnings

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