Western councils unite to establish new recyclables facility at Kilburn
Disposal of recyclables is causing headaches, especially after China stopped taking our waste, so two western councils have banded together to tackle the problem.
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Work will begin within weeks on a new $24m facility at Kilburn that will allow two western councils to process their own kerbside recyclables.
Waste has been a hot issue for councils since China imposed its National Sword policy, banning the import of certain waste products.
So the Cities of Port Adelaide Enfield and Charles Sturt have joined forces to create a Material Recovery Facility at Kilburn.
At the moment, both councils outsource their recyclables processing to the private sector.
The facility is expected to process 20,000 tonnes of waste a year – with the capacity to scale up over time.
Pascale Construction has secured the contract for the project and managing director Richard Zanchetta said between 30 to 40 workers would be on-site at any one time, with about 250 jobs sustained through the 12-month life of the project.
“It’s a very important project for our company, especially considering the state-of-play within the economy,” he said.
The facility will also provide up to 20 ongoing operational jobs at the facility once it’s complete.
City of Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Claire Boan said the two councils hoped other councils would also use the facility in the future for their recycling.
“There are significant reputational, environmental and economic benefits through managing our recycling in our local area,” she said.
“Both our councils have a commitment to being more sustainable and accountable with our recycling, so the Material Recovery Facility will enable us to sort and process our recyclable waste such as plastic containers into benches and walls.”
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City of Charles Sturt Mayor Angela Evans said the new Material Recovery Facility would
have a direct impact on the local economy.
“We have the opportunity to partner with local businesses to buy locally made recycled products, which in turn promotes the circular economy,” she said.
“With so much focus on the impact we all have on the future of the plant, being able to lead the charge in recycling, is so important for our communities.”