Council crushes recycling rumours
Published on 11 August 2017
Rockhampton Regional Council is reassuring residents who recycle that their efforts are paying dividends for the environment.
Chair of Council’s Waste Committee Councillor Neil Fisher said Council had received a number of questions on where the Region’s recycling goes following the airing of a Four Corners report earlier this week.
“Our community should be commended for showing that they care where their recycling ends up and I want all of our residents to know that Council takes its responsibilities in this area incredibly seriously,” Cr Fisher.
“We have had a number of queries this week from the community about where local recycling ends up once it’s placed it the yellow lid bin, in particular the glass items.
“As a Council we spend a lot of time and resources ensuring that the items collected from the yellow lid bins are recycled. We have a Material Recovery Facility right here in Rockhampton which is where all recycling ends up once collected from the kerbside. From there, it’s sorted into the different types of products such as paper, aluminium, plastics, cans.
“All products except glass are baled and sent to their respective markets or reprocessing plants. The glass remains at the MRF site where it’s crushed so it can then be used in local construction works. It’s stored at a facility in Rockhampton until it can be used for such a project.”
Cr Fisher said the items placed in the recycling bin do not end up in landfill as long as they are disposed of correctly.
“Our waste and recycling messaging centres on ‘doing the right thing and using the right bin’ when disposing of items and for recycling this means being aware of the items that can be recycled and separating them from the general waste. Recyclables should then be cleaned and put it into the yellow lid bin as they are, and not in plastic bags. There’s no reason after this that they won’t be used again and help create something brand new.”
“We are absolutely committed to this area through our Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan 2015-2026 which sets clear targets including a 15% reduction to landfill,” Cr Fisher said.
For further details on the Region’s waste and recycling, head to: www.rrc.qld.gov.au