Townsville residents have driven down recycling contamination rates by 1 per cent – but Council says there’s still more work to be done to meet the statewide average.
The new data comes following an audit of recycling bins across the Townsville region which shows the city’s recycling contamination rate is sitting at 23 per cent, with the most common type of recycling contamination coming from residents bagging their recyclable items.
Mayor Nick Dametto said incorrect recycling habits reduced the number of items that could be successfully prepared for remanufacturing.
“We want to make sure we’re putting the least amount of rubbish into landfill as possible which saves ratepayer dollars for building new landfill cells,” Cr Dametto said.
“Across Queensland the contamination rate for recycling is about 14 per cent. Here in Townsville, we’re sitting at 23 per cent after a slight improvement, but I know we can do better.
“Remember, your household recycling bin is for hard plastic packaging and containers, glass jars and bottles, steel, and aluminium cans as well as paper and cardboard. These should all be placed into your yellow bin, loose and never in plastic bags.”
Council Resource Recovery Project and Education Officer Ngaire Trigg said the facility at Bohle processed more than 70 tonnes of recycling every day.
“We want to stop pulling resources out of the earth and instead reusing what we already have. Glass, for example, can be infinitely recycled into more glass products, and aluminium is the same. We have the opportunity to reuse these resources, create local jobs and put less strain on our planet,” Ms Trigg said.
“It costs our ratepayers more than $300,000 a year to deal with the contamination rates that come through our yellow-lidded bins, so it’s really important that people are learning what they can and can’t put in their bins.
“Our facility here does not recycle any type of soft plastic, so that should not be going in your recycling bin at all. People think they’re doing the right thing by putting a liner in their bin at home, but once those items are bagged and sent to our facility they actually put our machinery and staff at risk. Remember, if your recycling items are bagged, they cannot be recycled.”
Residents can do their part by only putting steel and aluminium cans and foil, hard plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, and paper and carboard into their household recycling bins. These items should never be placed in bags.
