Confirmation sought on recycling
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Waste management and the destination of thousands of tonnes of recycling generated by local communities across NSW, has recently been in the national media spotlight.
Kempsey Shire Council has fielded a number of calls from concerned residents following an investigation by the ABC’s Four Corners. Council’s director of infrastructure services, Robert Scott acknowledged the community concern.
“Like many organisations who deal with waste management, our community has sought clarification on what happens to the recycling we generate. Our council operates our own EPA licensed landfill facility on Crescent Head Road and all red bin waste goes there. All of the yellow bin recycling and green bin organics waste is sent to Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s licensed waste facility at Cairncross for processing. Our understanding is that the contractor who operates that recycling plant sorts all recyclables into their relevant streams onsite to be recycled. However, we have sought confirmation through Port Macquarie-Hastings Council that this is the case and will share that information with the community when a response is received,” Mr Scott said.
The NSW government landfill levy for regional areas is $80 a tonne - cheaper than in metropolitan areas. There is no financial incentive to transport waste elsewhere for processing when regional councils can operate their own landfill sites.
The EPA has stated NSW has the strongest waste regulations and one of the highest recycling rates in the country.It is actively investigating a number of landfill sites but, following allegations made in the tv program, they have also referred the issue of illegal dumping to ICAC.
“The message to our community is while waste management is a complex and highly regulated industry, everyone can play a part in reducing the volume of material we send to recycling plants by buying products in bulk or with less packaging and thinking about reusing things before they are thrown away,” Mr Scott said