JULY 30, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Recycling sent to tip By Laura Michell Hundreds of tonnes of recycling from Hume and Whittlesea will be dumped in landfill after a decision by SKM Recycling to stop accepting recyclable material. The recycler contacted councils last Thursday night to inform them it would immediately stop accepting recyclables at its Coolaroo, Laverton North and Geelong plants. SKM has contracts for kerbside waste collections with 32 councils and said the shutdown was temporary. The closure came one day after the Environment Protection Authority ordered Glass Recovery Services, which is linked to SKM, to stop accepting combustible recyclables at its Coolaroo plant.
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SKM can't take any more without breaching their permits - Rob Spence
Teen joins talent search
(Joe Mastroianni)
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SKM spokesman Rob Spence told ABC radio the temporary closure was a result of the EPA’s ban on Glass Recovery Services. “If the glass plant had been left open … then we wouldn’t have this problem. But in fact, the EPA stopped the plant operating,” he said. “[SKM] can’t take any more [recycling] without breaching their permits with the EPA.” In a statement posted to Facebook, Hume council said it was “extremely disappointed” and angry to be sending recycling to landfill. The council said it was faced with the tough decision of stopping collections or sending the contents of the 7600 bins it empties daily to landfill. “There is simply no other choice. We cannot stockpile it until an alternative solution is found because, given the quantity, it is simply not safe to do so,” the statement read. “In 2019, it’s just not good enough. The community has every right to be concerned. “Hume City Council has been leading the call for all levels of government to better work together to ensure a sustainable waste and resource recovery industry in Australia through our Waste Regulation Campaign.” Whittlesea council city transport and presentation director Nick Mann confirmed the recycling would be sent to the Wollert landfill. “It’s important that residents continue to separate recyclables into the right kerbside bins in case SKM returns to operation or an alternative is found,” he said.
Jael Wena may only be 13 but she’s out to prove she has talent. The Doreen schoolgirl is trying her luck in the new season of Australia’s Got Talent in the hope of building a career as a singer. Jael said auditioning for AGT is something she had always wanted to do. “I’ve always wanted to be on TV but my dad told me to wait and practise,” she said. “To see the judges in front of my eyes and hear the crowd cheering for me ... it’s a dream come true.” The Hazel Glen College student is no stranger to performing in front of a large audience as she represented Australia at Junior Eurovision last year. “Junior Eurovision was so good. In AGT the audience was about 2000 people but at Junior Eurovision, there was 11,000 people,” she said. Jael said performing in front of singer Nicole Scherzinger – who is one of the judges this season – was a highlight. “I was very excited to see Nicole because I have watched her a lot. I never thought I would get to see her in person.” Australia’s Got Talent airs on Channel Seven on Sunday and Monday nights. Laura Michell