Talking Rubbish

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Welcome to Talking Rubbish!

Waste is a huge part of our everyday lives yet it's something we don't often think or talk about with friends and family. We want to get the conversation started and get you Talking Rubbish so that we can all be better informed about the waste and recycling issues and practices in our Shire.

This is a forum where you can have your say about the waste and recycling topics that matter most to you and your family.

So ask us a question, tell us a story, let us know about a recycling myth you need

Welcome to Talking Rubbish!

Waste is a huge part of our everyday lives yet it's something we don't often think or talk about with friends and family. We want to get the conversation started and get you Talking Rubbish so that we can all be better informed about the waste and recycling issues and practices in our Shire.

This is a forum where you can have your say about the waste and recycling topics that matter most to you and your family.

So ask us a question, tell us a story, let us know about a recycling myth you need busted or a recycling champion in your local neighbourhood ........Let's start Talking Rubbish!


  • Improvements to waste services are on the way!

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    Over the past 12 months the Shire has been looking into ways to improve the way our waste is managed and reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill.

    Recommendations have been adopted by Council and new initiatives will start to be rolled out across the Shire.

    Major changes to waste services:

    1. From July 2019, the Shire will introduce a compulsory new collections system with 3 bins:

    · A 240 litre bin for recyclables collected fortnightly;

    · A 240 litre bin for food and organic waste (FOGO) collected weekly; and

    · A 140 litre general waste bin for any remaining waste collected fortnightly. It is the waste from this bin only that will be transported to landfill.

    2. The Shire will progressively transition the layout and facilities at the Davis Road site to a Waste Transfer and Recycling Centre to allow better separation of waste streams:

    · Recyclable material – glass, plastics, metals, cardboard

    · Green waste – residential and commercial from prunings and clearing

    · Hazardous and problematic waste – tyres, oil, car bodies and parts, polystyrene, paint and batteries.

    · General waste. It is this general waste material that will be transported to landfill.

    3. For commercial, construction & demolition waste; the Shire will promote greater segregation of this waste stream and will increase gate fees for unsegregated loads.

    4. To investigate alternative disposal options for the residents who use the waste transfer stations at Alexandra Bridge and Rosa Brook.

    5. Strong branding and extensive education will be undertaken to encourage everyone to separate waste materials into three categories, organics, recyclables and general waste. The Shire’s aim is to produce clean waste streams with less than 2-3% of contamination. Low contamination levels will support recovery of all reusable materials, particularly organics, and minimise waste to landfill.

    6. The Shire will introduce complementary programs to encourage waste reduction.

    · Food waste reduction

    · Sustainable business programs

    · Contamination awareness

    · Ratepayer feedback

    · Community education


  • Update on Glass Recycling from the WA Local Governement Association

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    WALGA issued the following statement to the Shire regarding concerns about glass recycling in WA -

    As some of you may be aware there is going to be a 4 Corners reports about glass being stockpiled in NSW because there’s no viable market. The situation in WA is somewhat different.

    We have three main material recovery facilities (MRFs) that are sorting recyclables and separating glass. These are owned by Cleanaway, Suez and SMRC. Cleanaway has invested in new glass crushing and clean up technology which allows them to create a glass sand product on site, which is ready for immediate use in civil construction as a sand/aggregate replacement. Suez and SMRC send their glass to Perth Bin Hire, where it is crushed to the appropriate size for use in road base. While these markets exist, it would be useful if State and Local Governments committed to using recycled material in their civil works.

    The markets we have in WA for glass are not traditional back into glass markets. A proportion of our glass (9% - 4,200 tonnes – Recycling Activity Report 2015/16) goes to South Australia, where it is recycled back into glass. With the new Container Deposit Scheme, we will be collecting more glass. This glass will be source separated and of higher quality, so we may be able to send more to be recycled back into glass. However, it will be important to ensure that we have good local markets for the material.

    In 2015/16, 91% of glass recycled in WA was done within the State, predominantly being used in construction products

    Key points:
    • Glass cannot always be recycled back into glass, so we have found alternative markets for glass in WA.
    • These markets are in construction and civil works and a better outcome for the product than landfill.
    • To ensure these markets continue, we need to focus on Local and State Government procurement of recycled material for roads and other civil construction.


    This information covers glass that is recycled through the Shire's kerbside recycling and co-mingled recycling skips at the Davis Road Waste Management Facility and the transfer stations. Glass that is separated and put into the large glass bins is crushed at Davis Road and used as road base within our landfill operation which saves the Shire from purchasing virgin material.


    We encourage our residents to continue to separate all items which can be recycled from landfill and help us divert as much recoverable waste as possible. This will assist us in extending the life of the Davis Road landfill and also have less impact on the environment.

  • What happens to our glass???

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    There have been a few whispers around Town that the Shire is landfilling any glass that is dropped off at the Davis Road Landfill or our transfer stations. This is not true!

    Whilst there are challenges faced by the Shire in running recycling operations, the Shire is committed to waste avoidance and waste recovery to ensure the long term environmental health of the region.

    Glass that is separated and dropped off at one of the Shire facilities is crushed with on-site machinery at Davis Road and re-used onsite for road base for on-site haulage routes, hardstands to tipping areas, and as an alternative to daily cover material thereby reducing costs, ensuring diversion from landfill and conserving raw materials. By using the crushed glass within the landfill operation we are saving money by not having to purchase raw material to achieve the same outcome. So although it is recycled by using it in the landfill operation, it is not actually landfilled.

    Within Australia there is currently only one glass beneficiary plant which is in Adelaide. Perth does not have a suitable plant to accept and process glass. The cost of shipping to Adelaide makes that method of recycling unviable for a small Shire like ours who would only receive approximately 100 to 150 tonnes of glass annually. The Shire unfortunately has limited impact on the overall recycling lifecycle of most recyclable materials and is reliant on commercial industry and the state government to develop markets or processing facilities for potentially recyclable materials in society.

    Glass in the Shire is also recovered through the Kerbside recycling program which is currently contracted to Suez Environmental. Any glass or other recyclable materials put into the yellow top wheelie bins that are serviced by Suez Environmental are sorted at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Bibra Lake. The glass is then stockpiled there until they have a sufficient amount to make a shipment to either Adelaide or Asia; wherever there is a market for the material.

    It is not in the interest of the Shire or our recycling contractors to landfill recyclable materials. Diverting recyclable materials from landfill saves both the Shire and our ratepayers money.


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Page last updated: 02 Oct 2020, 02:11 PM