NEW RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY IN CAIRNS

PETER MCCULLAGH

NEW technology designed to make recycling beverage containers faster arrived in the Cairns area this week when the first bulk container counting unit outside of south-east Queensland became operational in the suburb of Edmonton.

The bulk sorting unit started accepting containers this morning at Cash 4 Containers, a Container Refund Point (CRP) in the Containers for Change scheme.

The Containers for Change scheme offers 10 cent refunds on eligible containers at CRPs and has now collected more than 2.5 billion containers across the state during the two years of the scheme’s operation. In the greater Cairns Region more than 140 million containers have been recycled.

This figure is significant as the majority of unrecycled containers are buried in landfill or left to pollute the environment and potentially end up in our waterways or Great Barrier Reef.

From this week customers at Cash 4 Containers will have their container counts sped up with the new technology installed at 33 Vickers St, Edmonton.

The new machine expedites the counting of eligible containers, with the unit able to process up to 6000 containers per hour.

The TOMRA E1 bulk sorting machine also possesses state-of-the-art technology that can recognise and sort the different material types, be it aluminium, glass, plastic or paperboard.

It achieves container recognition by shape and barcode scanning to ensure accurate counts for customers, and also provides safer and cleaner workplaces with less handling of recycled materials.

Ken Noye is the chief executive of Container Exchange, the not-for-profit company that runs the Containers for Change scheme for the State Government.

He said the scheme was constantly aiming to give customers a better experience when they return their eligible containers.

“New technology plays an important part in providing customers the convenience they want in the way they return and find the cash in their eligible containers,” said Mr Noye.

“This new bulk sorting unit in Edmonton will do just that for people in the greater Cairns area by ensuring the containers they return are counted faster and help avoid unnecessary queuing at the depot.

“The Containers for Change scheme has now realised a 54 per cent reduction in beverage container litter across Queensland in less than two years, and the roll out of new technology like this will help us build on that number.”

This morning local community group Edmonton Men’s Shed, which uses the scheme to raise funds, held a sausage sizzle at Edmonton Cash 4 Containers to mark the release of the new machine.

The Containers for Change scheme returned $163 million in refunds last year to customers, charities, community groups, local councils and material recovery facilities across Queensland. In Queensland there are more than 3,500 different community, sporting or charities participating in the scheme.

For more information on Containers for Change, see www.containersforchange. com.au

What containers are eligible under this scheme?

Most aluminium, glass, plastic, steel and liquid paperboard beverage containers between 150ml and 3L are eligible for a 10 cent refund.

Eligible containers must be included on the scheme’s list of products and display the refund mark (eg 10c refund mark).

Generally excluded containers are those that are less than 150ml and greater than 3 Litres.

Excluded containers:

• Plain milk containers of all sizes including plantbased milk substitutes • Glass containers that contained wine or pure spirits • Containers 1L or more that contained flavoured milk, pure fruit or vegetable juice, cask wine or cask water • Concentrated/undiluted cordial or syrup containers • Sachets above 250ml that have contained wine • Registered health tonics

Construction is well advanced on the new Taco Bell restaurant located at DFO in Westcourt