Goulburn Mayor Nina Dillon, council’s business manager, waste and recycling Tony Stevens, director of utilities Marina Hollands and business manager infrastructure Matt Jones during an inspection of the new Community Recycling Centre. Photo: John Thistleton.
The remaining 13-year lifespan of Goulburn’s tip is expected to be significantly extended following the opening on Wednesday (27 November) of a huge community recycling centre.
Toxic materials such as paint previously subjected to restricted and infrequent collection can now be disposed of seven days a week at the community recycling centre.
Goulburn Mayor Nina Dillon said the new centre would make it much easier to recycle, particularly for paint, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, motor oil, cooking oil, car batteries and household batteries. This in turn would make it easier for residents to keep inappropriate material out of landfill.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s business manager, waste and recycling, Tony Stevens said diverting steel, green waste, cardboard and polystyrene products from landfill would prolong the tip’s life.
“I think it is more convenient than going to the tip face,” he said. “We have been trying to start this up from the middle of September; it has been a bit of a trial and error and people are getting accustomed to it and I think it has been received very well.”
While staff were trained by Environment Protection Authority, and without much advertising, Goulburn people still managed to recycle 3.2 tonnes of material through the new centre.
“One of the big things that came through was battery-operated fire detectors (smoke alarms),” Mr Stevens said. “Normally they would probably go to landfill. So the message is getting out there, even though we have not advertised. People are driving through and seeing where they can put batteries, fluorescent tubes, gas cylinders, all that sort of thing.”
The new centre is another piece of an overall $10.5 million upgrade at the tip, which years ago people drove down to – now they drive up to a narrowing peak. The next stage of developing the resource centre will be opening a resource recovery shop, or tip shop, Mr Stevens said.
While scavenging at tips has long been banned because of safety concerns, goods such as discarded furniture recovered from the landfill will be sold at the shop, which Mr Stevens expects will open in the first quarter of 2025. This will be followed by the opening of an education centre.
At the opening of the Community Recycling Centre on Wednesday morning are councillors Bob Kirk, Michael Prevedello, Mayor Nina Dillon, Councillor Liz McKeon, Assistant Minister for Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Heritage Trish Doyle and Councillor Keith Smith. Photo: John Thistleton.
He said previously the council would have an annual collection for tins of paint, organised by the Canberra Region Joint operation for all participating councils once a year. Collection is now available every day of the week.
“That will make a big difference, especially for paint, gas cylinders and LED batteries,” he said.
Once left for recycling, steel is sold through a scrap metal tenderer with the council, while cardboard and ‘co-mingles’, including plastic, bottles and polystyrene products, go to Endeavour Industries, which also has a contract with the council.
A collection point is also planned for clothing and textiles and rural residents in the shire will be encouraged to bring their recyclable waste to the centre.
Assistant Minister for Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Heritage Trish Doyle said she travelled around the state seeing the effort people were putting into protecting the environment and encouraging communities to recycle.
Mayor Nina Dillon and Assistant Minister for the Environment Trish Doyle cut a ribbon to formally open the Community Recycling Centre. Director of Utilities Marina Hollands is at left. Photo: John Thistleton.
“This is the second gigantic recycling centre I have opened this year, one out the other side of the Blue Mountains which is the area I represent, at Lithgow. But I think you win, this is the biggest I have seen,” Ms Doyle said.
Community recycling centres were crucial for protecting the environment, she said.
A $200,000 grant from NSW Environmental Trust enabled the development of the 25 m x 18 m shed housing the community resource centre, which is located with other recycling services at the tip.
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