Gold Coast recycling on its way up
GIVE yourself a pat on the back Gold Coast. When it comes to recycling we’re smashing the state average. Here’s how were doing it.
Gold Coast
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AS state leaders and recycling experts call for Australia to change the way it looks at waste, the future is looking clean and green on the Gold Coast.
About 43 per cent, or 255,000 tonnes, of home waste is recycled on the Gold Coast each year, well up on the Queensland average of 30 per cent.
Gold Coast City Council wants to raise that figure above 45 per cent by 2019 and 60 per cent by 2024 under the Solid Waste Strategy.
A highrise recycling program, public recycling bins and a food waste collection deal help the Gold Coast meet the 60 per cent recyclable target set for 2024.
Waste, Recycling Industry Association of Queensland (WRIAQ) secretary Mark Dekker, of BMI Group, said the recycling sector was ripe for a revolution.
“I have been all around the world looking at recycling, and Australia is just on the edge of taking that real step into making it,” Mr Dekker said.
“What is holding us back is the price of landfill, which often stops recycling from becoming a viable option. With levies and other changes in place, people will turn to recycling.”
The general manager of BMI Group said his business already had invested in recycling construction and demolition materials.
“When the waste levy was previously in place we were recycling 90 per cent of the construction waste in the Gold Coast area. For example, we recycle 500,000 tonnes of bricks each year.”
A Gold Coast City Council spokesman said information on recycling was key.
“Sort your load and take the time to recycle when you get to the Waste and Recycling Centre,” a council spokesman said.
“Our sites have heaps of recycling options.”
Queensland’s new container deposit scheme (CDS), which comes into play in November, is also expected to benefit those councils who collect, allowing them to access the refunds on the CDS containers.
● Residential and commercial self-hauled waste is separated at one of 13 waste and recycling centres across city.
● Mixed recyclables are sent to the Materials Recovery Facility at Carrara and sorted and sent to relevant recyclers.
● Green waste from kerbside collections and centres is sent to a composting facility.
● Other separated materials (car batteries, oil, electronic waste, whitegoods, scrap metal, cardboard, gas bottles, charity bins etc) are sent to relevant recyclers.
● Some construction and demolition materials (concrete, asphalt, soil, rock, masonry) can be reused for land-forming and cover at our landfills, as well as in new works.
● Reusable materials collected at our Molendinar and Reedy Creek facilities are onsold at council recycling shops.
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