Page 1214 - Week 03 - Thursday, 31 March 2011
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Mugga Lane and its promotion of the second-hand sector. Purchasing a second-hand item instead of a new item means that one less item is created, so one less item must be recycled or disposed of. The government also provides support through its participation in national product stewardship arrangements such as the national e-waste scheme that is expected to commence later this year. These will not lead to the avoidance of waste but will at least ensure that items are recycled at the end of their lives.
Basic kerbside waste and recycling services are provided to all residents. In 2009-10, this system recovered 36,000 tonnes of material. The department provides education about how to use the kerbside bins, through brochures, tours and presentations. That education has been effective in maximising recycling. Contamination rates are less than five per cent, which is an improvement on the contamination rate of 9.3 per cent in 2007. Basic kerbside services are sufficient for most residents but residents and bodies corporate that require a higher level of service are encouraged to order additional services.
The fees for additional services are very reasonable. For instance, an additional yellow-topped recycling bin emptied fortnightly costs $51.60 a year; less than $1 a week. Kerbside recycling relies on a combination of source separation and end separation. Residents are required to sort their basic recyclables from their waste by using the yellow-topped and green-topped bins. The recycling in the yellow-topped bin is sent to the materials recovery facility in Hume, where it is further sorted into separate materials such as plastics, glass and paper. The facility uses a combination of mechanical devices and people to achieve this. The materials are then sent for recycling and become new products.
People can deliver aluminium and steel cans, car batteries, cartons, glass bottles and jars, motor oil, paper and cardboard and rigid plastic containers to the Mugga Lane and Mitchell resource management centres and to the west Belconnen resource management centre. They may take fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights, gas cylinders, metals, including whitegoods, mobile phones, paint and second-hand goods, to the Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centres. All of these items can be delivered free of charge and the vast majority are recycled.
People may also take paper, cardboard, mobile phones and phone batteries, glass bottles and jars, rigid plastic containers, cartons, steel and aluminium cans to any of the four recycling centres in Tuggeranong, Belconnen, Phillip or Mitchell. Those items can be left free of charge, 24 hours a day, and they are recycled. The separate recycling bins, bays and cages at the recycling centres and resource management centres largely rely on source separation. People can access these services free of charge but must ensure they place the correct items in the correct containers to ensure that they are recycled.
Green waste can be delivered to composting facilities at the Mugga Lane and west Belconnen resource management centres for free or to the privately operated Canberra Sand and Gravel facility at Mitchell for a small fee. The material is then recycled into useful products such as compost. This system results in the recovery of over 90 per
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