Council secures funding for additional community recycling service

Council has secured significant new funding to manage waste that can’t be disposed of via the regular kerbside collections.

The funding, from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) totals $1.125 million for six NSW Councils, including Blue Mountains.

The funding will be used to develop a new Community Recycling Centre at the current Blaxland Waste Management Facility, similar to what is already offered year round at Katoomba.

Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said: “This funding means that we can help our community out with those problematic waste products that can’t go into their ordinary bin collections.

“We already offer this year-round service at Katoomba Waste Management Facility; now we can offer it at Blaxland too.

“Recycling toxic waste is important to our community and we all benefit when we keep these materials out of our environment and appropriately disposed of.”

Potentially harmful household wastes like paint, household batteries and fluoro light globes will be safely recycled at the upgraded facility.

The Community Recycling Centres are part of the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. The grants are administered by the Environmental Trust and funded through the waste levy.

Many of the problem wastes are recycled, including paints being mixed with waste solvents to produce a fuel alternative, oils processed to become lubricants, and batteries sent to recyclers where components are recovered and returned to the manufacturing sector. 

For more information go to: bmcc.nsw.gov.au/waste

Photo: Waste Resource Management Compliance Officer Jane Manners at the Community Recycling Centre at Katoomba Waste Management Facility.