No waste produced by MidCoast businesses and residents is transported outside of the region for disposal to landfill.
That is good news according to MidCoast Council and it is keen to educate our community about the waste disposal process at an information session on August 31.
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In the wake of recent media coverage about illegal disposal of waste in NSW, MidCoast Council says waste across the region is disposed of legally and responsibly.
“With a lower per tonne waste levy than metro council areas, and by owning our landfill facilities, we have no need to look outside our area to dispose of waste, legally or illegally,” according to Amy Hill, MidCoast Council’s waste program co-ordinator said.
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“MidCoast Council’s landfill facilities are licensed, council owned assets, unlike many metropolitan areas where they are owned independently. Stockpiles are stored within their licence conditions, meaning they are processed and reused within the 12 month Environment Protection Authority stockpiling regulation.
“This means we retain direct control over waste management, and the issue of stockpiling large amounts of material that doesn’t have an end use is not part of our waste management practices.
”In Sydney the levy currently sits at $138 per tonne, which is a far higher incentive to look for alternative ways to dispose of waste and could potentially lead to misuse of the system.”
Ms Hill says the “vital process of separating rubbish into the red, yellow and green bin helps to minimise the impact of waste on our environment and divert waste from landfill.”
“Through its contractual arrangement with JR Richards & Sons, MidCoast Council have all the necessary contract management, quality assurance and audit systems in place to ensure all waste generated within the region is disposed of, or recycled, lawfully within the region.
As a regional council, MidCoast Council pays a $79.60 per tonne waste levy based on the amount of waste going to landfill, which is the NSW government’s way of encouraging recycling and assisting in diverting waste from landfill.
- MidCoast Council’s waste program co-ordinator, Amy Hill.
“The waste that you place in your red lidded general waste bin is delivered to one of our licensed landfills, either Bucketts Way landfill at Tinonee or Gloucester landfill.
“The yellow recycling bin helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and has great environmental benefits. Cardboard/paper, glass bottles, rigid plastic containers (not plastic bags), aluminium cans and empty aerosols are suitable for your yellow bin.
“Recyclable waste is delivered to the Material Recovery Facility at Tuncurry Waste Management Centre, where it is separated and sold as recycling products to companies like Onesteel, Sims Metal, Australian Recycled Plastic and Orora.
“Glass is processed locally into five grades for commercial applications, such as pool filter medium, termite barrier, sand blasting and binding agents.
“The green bin helps divert garden waste from around the home away from landfill, which reduces the production of methane, a greenhouse gas.
“JR Richards delivers your green waste to one of our licenced waste facilities where it is mulched and either used as EPA approved cover material on the capped landfills, windrowed and composted for residents to use, or further processed via the Material Aerated Facility into a soil conditioner and sold to residents for reuse.
“These processes play a significant role in helping to minimise the impact of waste on our environment and divert waste from landfill.”
Ms Hill says every household can help by being responsible when disposing rubbish, or even better, thinking about what waste is being brought into the home at the time of purchase.
“By doing this we can all help minimise the issue of waste disposal across the MidCoast region.”
Ms Hill invites people who are keen to learn more about recycling in our region to attend the Community Information Day at the Materials Recycling Facility in Tuncurry on 31 August. To find out more contact MidCoast Council.