AUGUST 13, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Recycling sent to tip By Ewen McRae Moorabool council will be forced to send kerbside recycling material to landfill following the closure of recycling company SKM. SKM was declared insolvent by the Supreme Court on August 2, leaving more than 30 councils across Victoria without a recycling supplier. Moorabool council entered into a two-week arrangement with a small operation near Ballarat that has now reached capacity, leaving Moorabool without a recycling alternative. Council community assets and infrastructure general manager Phil Jeffrey said the SKM decision was impacting on numerous councils and made finding suitable replacements difficult.
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Students find time to waste Melton Secondary College has taken the first steps towards a greener future, after conducting its first waste audit last week. The school, which has previously never had a recycling program, decided to raise awareness on the need to better manage waste at the school by dividing up rubbish from school bins to discover what could be recycled. Senior school team leader Max Beliniak said the results were amazing. “We tipped over nine bins and sorted it into six different categories to see where the rubbish around the school was coming from,” he said. “We found out that over half of the rubbish we sorted was able to be recycled. “We took spreadsheets of data which showed 90 litres of organics that could be composted, just over 7000 items of paper or cardboard, 2500 items of soft plastic, and only a very small amount that deserved to go to landfill. “The students were all really surprised by some of the things that got thrown out that was perfectly fine or able to be re-used.” Mr Beliniak said he hoped this would be a stepping stone to a proper recycling program at the school and sustainability improvements in their community. “We currently don’t have a recycling program, and there’s no education around recycling or sustainability at the school unless you do certain VCE subjects,” he said. “So it’s important for the kids future, because they’re going to be living on an Earth that’s surrounded by plastic and global warming.”
We will keep the community posted
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SADAKA, JOSEPH AND MAU
Ewen McRae
12425008-SN34-19 10070720-08
“Moorabool is one of more than 30 Victorian councils engaged in contracts with SKM,” he said. “Last week, SKM Corporate was declared insolvent and the company has ceased accepting recyclable materials. “Council was able to engage a small regional company to take the shire’s recyclables in the short term, but this has now reached capacity. “The remaining industry recyclers are currently experiencing extreme demand from numerous councils and therefore council will be sending recyclable materials to landfill in the short term until a sustainable arrangement can be secured. “We will keep the community posted on our website and Facebook pages. “Council greatly appreciates the community’s understanding during this complex statewide issue. We encourage residents to continue to sort recycling as we look to secure another receival facility.” Melton council, which has a recycling contract with Visy, urged residents to continue recycling as normal, with mayor Bob Turner saying recycling impacts all residents. “This is about keeping our city clean, keeping landfill to a minimum and reducing associated costs,” Cr Turner said last week. “If you’re putting the right things in your yellow bin, then your household recyclables are going to the right place, so please continue recycling.”
(Luke Hemer)
- Phil Jeffrey
158-166 High Street, Melton 8746 0323
Shane 0411 373 225 | Chris 0478 737 692
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