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Hume Council still exploring options to resume kerbside recycling

Yellow bin kerbside collections resumed in three suburban council last week but Hume wasn’t one of them. The council says it is still exploring options to resume recycling and hasn’t ruled out a return to SKM’s former Coolaroo site.

SKM Recycling

Hume Council says it is still exploring options to resume recycling and hasn’t ruled out a return to SKM’s former Coolaroo facility.

Yellow bin kerbside collections resumed in Brimbank, Melbourne and Moonee Valley councils last week with materials sent to the Laverton North site.

Restructuring company KordaMentha took over the embattled company’s sites, including Laverton North and Coolaroo and have been working around the clock to get the facility up and running.

Crews in Laverton North and Coolaroo have been working around the clock to get the sites up and running.
Crews in Laverton North and Coolaroo have been working around the clock to get the sites up and running.
The Laverton North site before it started processing materials again.
The Laverton North site before it started processing materials again.

Hume Sustainable Infrastructure and Services director Peter Waite said Laverton North was not a site the council previously sent recyclables to.

“To secure recycling services moving forward, Hume City Council has agreed to participate in the Metropolitan Waste Resource Recovery Group joint procurement process along with many other Melbourne councils,” Mr Waite said.

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“The MWRRG has indicated it is likely to take some time to finalise new contracts and for the successful tenderers to commence operations, especially if they first need to establish new processing facilities.

“In the interim, the council continues to explore options to resume recycling services until new contracts are in place.”

Stockpiles of recyclable materials at an SKM site.
Stockpiles of recyclable materials at an SKM site.
Northern Community Recycling Group’s Ann Williams (right) with Hume residents diverting their recyclables from landfill during the city’s first fortnightly pop-up collection day at Craigieburn.
Northern Community Recycling Group’s Ann Williams (right) with Hume residents diverting their recyclables from landfill during the city’s first fortnightly pop-up collection day at Craigieburn.

Mr Waite said this included engaging KordaMentha about the possibility of using the Coolaroo site when it reopened.

A KordaMentha spokesman said about 10,000 tonnes of processed waste has been removed from Laverton and Coolaroo, with three trucks working around the clock, five days a week.

“This is waste material that had already been processed, sorted and recycled as much as practicable,” he said.

EPA takes action over stockpile

“Most has gone to landfill, with some to a company that uses glass waste for road-building.”

It comes after a new pop-up recycling initiative in Craigieburn diverted more than two truckloads of materials from landfill at its first event.

The partnership between the Northern Community Recycling Group and Hume Council allows locals to drop off clean and sorted recyclables every second Sunday at the Craigieburn Sports Stadium.

jack.paynter@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north/hume-council-still-exploring-options-to-resume-kerbside-recycling/news-story/50c7012d1f2b8f3e219f7ba288ea5fa9