Call for focus on waste
A WASTE development group says it has never been more important for householders to be vigilant on what they put in their recycling bins.
Re. Group, which operates the Townsville Materials Recovery Facility, was commenting amid the continuing industry fallout of a recyclables import ban by China.
“We need the best quality material with low contamination rates,” Re. Group chief development officer Garth Lamb said.
“We absolutely want every beer can, soft drink bottle, milk bottle, newspaper and pizza box in town to be sent to us so that we can recycle it.
“But people need to make sure they don’t put general rubbish or garden organics in with the recycling material.”
He also asked people not to put plastic shopping bags in bins. These were best recycled with the shopping centre’s Redcycle scheme, he said.
Townsville City Council this week approved temporary discount relief to Re. Group on fees to dump residual waste at the Stuart landfill. It also resolved to ramp up community engagement and education.
Mayor Jenny Hill said a new waste container levy planned by the State Government would help the Townsville facility to survive.
According to the council, China’s ban was already having a significant impact on the facility.
Mr Lamb said the facility, opened last year, was performing well, employing 12 people.
He said it used the latest equipment to provide the highest quality products possible.
“The investment into a new best practice facility has meant that, even in the challenging global markets, we are able to make and sell good products,” Mr Lamb said.
They sold different products to a range of local and international buyers, with buyers changing from month to month, he said.
Generally, the ban had meant reduced prices for recycled materials.
Mr Lamb said 100 per cent of its glass was made into sand that was used locally in road building. Cr Hill said the facility was one of only a few in the state that recycled glass.
Previously, glass had been a big problem in the region’s waste stream for at least the past 20 years, she said.
The facility recovers around 175,000kg of paper, 100,000kg of glass, 13,000kg of plastics, 3000kg of steel and 2500kg of aluminium from Townsville each week.