Waste is out - it's all about Recovery!

Caption: Deputy Mayor Terry James and students from Isabella State School unveil the new Recovery Way sign

Students from Isabella State School have joined Council to lift the lid on the new name of Waste Street, Portsmith – Recovery Way.

Recovery Way emerged as the clear favourite in an online poll earlier this year, taking out more than 50 per cent of the vote, well ahead of other options Recycling Street and Rediscovery Street.

Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said Recovery Way was a far more fitting name for the street leading to Council’s Rediscovery Centre for waste education and the Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

“The name Waste Street simply does not reflect what Council’s does in the ‘waste’ space,” Cr Manning said.

“We are really about encouraging everyone in the community to ‘recover’, repurpose and reuse materials wherever possible.”

The Portsmith MRF processes more than 15,000 tonnes of recyclable items each year and is the hub for regional efforts towards waste reduction, landfill avoidance and recovery efforts.

Last financial year, Council diverted more than 60 per cent, or almost 58,000 tonnes of refuse from landfill, well above the state average of 45 per cent.

Around 1500 Cairns school children also visited the Rediscovery Centre to learn firsthand how to recycle right.

The naming of Recovery Way is just one of many activities to highlight the importance of recycling during National Recycling Week, including:

“I encourage you to come down and join the fun on Saturday, learn some skills, have some fun and celebrate reuse and recycling in Cairns,” Cr Manning said.

Residents can learn more about ‘recovery’ at the Recycle Right website, https://recycleright.cairns.qld.gov.au, which explains which household items can be recycled and what happens to those items once they are collected.