Page 5088 - Week 17 - Wednesday, 12 December 1990
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Mr Wood: At quite a cost.
MR HUMPHRIES: Not necessarily at a cost, but certainly in a way which satisfies those parents.
Recycling
MR STEVENSON: My question is directed to Mr Duby. It concerns the recycling of glass, plastic and other materials, particularly during the Christmas and New Year period. Firstly, it is pleasing to note that the recycling centre near the Dickson shopping centre is being well used and some of the metal tubs were nearly full to overflowing. First of all, who is responsible for emptying those receptacles? How is the decision taken to empty those; in other words, when? Also, are any special arrangements being made for what could be expected to be a very large influx of recyclable materials during the Christmas period - not only for that area but also for some of the functions that will be held around Canberra?
MR DUBY: I thank Mr Stevenson for the question. Indeed, it is a topical question, given the fact that glass recycling is becoming so popular with the populace of the ACT. I believe that a new style of bottle bank has now been introduced through suburban shopping centres, and 59 of these new style bottle banks are now in place in suburban shopping centres around Canberra, in addition to the older style igloo type of glass receptacle which, of course, as Mr Stevenson has well pointed out, often used to become overly full, leading to overflow.
The glass collection from those recycling areas is done on a contract basis by a firm in Canberra, the name of which I am frankly not familiar with; it may even be ACI. Generally speaking, the management of frequency of pick-up, et cetera, is left in their hands because it is in their financial interest to make the collections. Clearly, they make money out of collecting glass and they do not want to have receptacles which are full and which people cannot add to.
Basically, though, the situation is also monitored by officers from my department to make sure that that very situation I mentioned does not occur. Frankly, in relation to the coming Christmas period, I imagine that commercial responsibilities and commercial pressures will lead the firm that is currently responsible for the collection of glass to either update or improve their collection techniques, or not.
I am very pleased to announce that there is a new style of glass collection, which I believe was launched by Mr Jensen last week, and it is the first in Australia. I refer to a multiple collection system using these bottle banks. There
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