Return and earn bulk collection centre reopens after fire

AFTER the fire which closed the Lismore tip, Lismore City Council has announced the Return and Earn bulk collection centre will reopen.

RECYCLING OPEN: The popular Return and Earn bulk collection centre at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre will reopen on Friday September 6 as part of the ongoing staged reopening of the facility after the devastating August 11 fire. Picture: Supplied

HAS your collection of empty bottles been piling up since the Lismore tip fire closed the recycling facility?

Well, you will finally be able to cash them in from Friday.

Lismore City Council announced the Return and Earn bulk collection centre at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre will reopen this Friday, September 6, part of the ongoing staged reopening of the facility.

The front half of the centre is now open with general waste, recycling and green waste disposal available.

The Lismore Revolve Shop and the Lismore Pound have also reopened.

The composting pads and the Materials Recovery Facility building damaged in the fire could be closed for a period of up to 12 months while damage assessments and repairs are undertaken.

Compost will not be for sale for many months until the speciality compost aeration system can be replaced.

The council's acting executive director of infrastructure services, Peter Jeuken, said the reopening and restoration of the facility was happening as fast as possible.

"We have had a very busy time since we reopened last week and we appreciate some people have been waiting quite some time for the Return and Earn bulk collection centre to reopen,” he said.

"People may need to be patient at the bulk collection centre while we work through the expected backlog.”

Mr Jeuken said the bulk collection centre is essential for community groups, sporting clubs and those recycling big volumes of bottles and cans.

"We understand how keen people are to see the facility reopen and we will definitely be back in operation tomorrow,” he said.

"We appreciate the fire has caused major disruption for local residents but once the Return and Earn bulk collection centre reopens, all services will be back to normal, with the exception of our compost sales.

"This is also an opportunity to thank the community for their patience, Council staff for their commitment, and the EPA and Safework NSW for working with Council to enable progressive reopening of the facility.”

The Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 4pm and Saturday/Sunday from 9am to 4pm.

The Lismore Revolve Shop is open Tuesday from 9am to 2pm and Thursday/Friday/Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

The Return and Earn container deposit machines at Goonellabah Shopping Centre and Brewster Street in Lismore are still operational to dispose of recyclable containers, and the Brewster Street Drop-off Centre and the Nimbin Transfer Station also remain open.