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Do you have something to be recycled but it doesn’t belong in your kerbside recycling bin?
Here’s a list of the other recycling services available across Tasmania including batteries, coffee pods, toothbrushes, tyres, motor oil, light globes, plastic bags and much more!
To find out about the TerraCycle collection boxes and free recycling services, visit TerraCycle Australia.
The winners of the sixth annual Waste NoT Awards have been announced, with nine projects selected across several categories for their innovative waste management initiatives in Northern Tasmania.
Early Learners Category
WINNER:
Harper Ling – Harper was nominated by her parents in the Early Learners category for her project “Clean up Local”. Harper is 6 years old and she started her Clean up Local campaign earlier this year after she visited a rubbish-ridden beach and decided it was time to change. Her family helped her launch the Clean Up Local campaign on Facebook in April 2019 calling for volunteers one Sunday each month to pick up as much litter as they could find in one hour. August’s clean-up was held at the playground on Lilydale road, Rocherlea and previous to this they did a clean-up on the East Tamar highway which resulted in 15 full bags of rubbish being removed. This is an ongoing project that Harper is very passionate about and each month Clean up Local are getting more and more volunteers.
WINNER:
GlenDhu Childrens Services – In 2018 GlenDhu Children’s Services were moved by the iconic diver who filmed his dive with plastic floating all around him. The children of GlenDhu Children’s Services wondered how all the rubbish got there, where it came from and what would happen. This led to an educational journey of research and investigation with day to day consumption becoming their focus and the war on waste project began. Part of their project included identifying lunch box item packaging that could be swapped for more sustainable options and introducing a REDcycle and FOGO bin. During this project, they learnt that many simple changes can make a big difference. The children are now working on a poster to present to local supermarkets highlighting the issue of single use plastics packaging.
Primary School Category
WINNER:
Trevallyn Primary School – Trevallyn Primary were selected for their project ‘Waste at the Taste’ which come about in an effort to increase the community’s uptake of recycling and composting at the annual school fair. Trevallyn Primary created a YouTube video to educate patrons on what can go in each bin in preparation for the fair. Though their efforts they saved over 150kgs from going into landfill.
Secondary School Category
WINNER:
Deloraine High School – Deloraine High School were selected for their sustainable community’s project which involved a group of grade 9/10 students from the new 10 week short course working to make the community more sustainable. Some of the things the students completed as part of the project were two waste audits; litter surveys & they designed and installed a new five-bay recycling bin bank and a water bottle refilling station. The students also hosted a sustainability event to inform and engage over 300 staff and students including students from the neighbouring primary school and encouraged students to take part in the new recycling initiatives implemented by the group.
Colleges/Tertiary Institutions Category
WINNER:
Launceston College STEAM Team – This unique project involved the college students creating their own plastics recycling plant that would recycle their 3D print waste material. By creating the facility at the college this enabled the students to explore the entire recycling process, close the loop and allow students to understand the challenges and success of recycling plastic. They are now recycling other materials including their HDPE and LDPE and the whole college is getting involved by providing the STEAM team with plastic bottles to recycle. This project has attracted attention across the state – it’s the first of its kind and could be replicated in other schools.
Small – Medium Organisations Category
WINNER:
Vibestown Productions – Vibestown Productions were selected for their project at the 2019 Party in the Paddock Festival. This annual music festival is held in White Hills over 4 days and attracts over 8000 revellers with the majority of those camping on site. The waste reduction and management project was implemented and managed by a small team of event staff and over 100 volunteers. Water bottle refill stations were in place to eliminate all single use plastics use, they also had a cup refund scheme where patrons purchased their cup, enjoyed their beverages and either returned for another round or returned the cup to get their deposit back.
Individuals Category
WINNER:
The Poulton Family – The Poultons are being recognised for their bread bag challenge which began when their son Callen came home from school asking why they don’t do soft plastic recycling. When the family decided to put another bin in the cardboard box that they use as a rubbish bin there was not much room for both bags so they used a bread bag as the rubbish bag, which led to the idea of the bread bag challenge. The challenge was to reduce their weekly landfill waste to a bread bag, after achieving this and maintaining it for several months, the family decided to use social media to challenge their friends and family.
The Poulton Family and their Bread Bag Challenge was also selected by the judges as the overall winner in the 2019 Waste NoT Awards – Congratulations!
Not For Profit/Community Group Category
WINNER:
Harvest Launceston Community Farmers Market – Harvest Market was recognised for their commitment to achieving sustainable waste management practices. As an iconic and reputable community event held every Saturday it became apparent that Harvest needed to be a leader in this space and so a strategic decision to become a zero-waste event by 2021 was put in place. The first step was to identify the waste being created and so a waste audit took place. The audit showed that 95% of waste was compostable. When City of Launceston launched their FOGO service in 2018 it was not commercially available at that stage so Harvest worked with the Council to make it happen. There are 4 FOGO bins in central locations and the market entry/exit points, the bins are monitored by volunteers and signage has been erected. To launch Harvest’s first FOGO, special guest Costa from Gardening Australia gave it the thumbs up.
State/Local Government Category
WINNER:
Break O’Day Council – selected for their unique project called Hook, Line & Sinker. This project come about after community consultation on reducing waste and looking after the environment. In an effort to reduce marine waste, Council introduced Hook, Line & Sinker collection containers on jetties and the wharf. The containers are a simple design made from repurposed PVC pipe. The containers are located in visible areas with an aim to provide a place for fishers to discard used hooks and sinkers as well as tangled line rather than tossing it in the bay, threatening the marine wildlife and polluting the beaches.
Want to find a better way to manage your school’s waste?
Before you jump in to a waste audit, take a few moments to check out the handy tips included in this fact sheet compiled by the Waste Education Officers from across Tasmania.
The time spent in planning will help make any future waste minimisation efforts all the more successful. Thank you for rethinking waste in Tasmania!
The Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group (NTWMG) Resource Recovery and Waste Minimisation Grants program will allocate grants to eligible organisations in Northern Tasmania that are working to:
This funding program responds to the growing financial pressures associated with meeting landfill management, environmental and rehabilitation standards, as well as the need to reduce the strain on landfill space and the environment by improving recycling and the reuse of materials.
Financial support will be provided for eligible project costs associated with procuring infrastructure or educational materials necessary to improve waste management practices in the northern Tasmanian region including Break O’Day, George Town, Launceston City, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands and West Tamar Council areas.
A total funding allocation of $70,000 is available under the 2019/20 Resource Recovery and Waste Minimisation Grants program.
Applications are open until 3.00pm 24th September 2019.
OPEN THE GRANT GUIDELINES AND ONLINE APPLICATION FORM HERE.
After reading about northern Tasmanian student, Travis, and his passion for recycling in the Rethink Waste Tasmania Good Sorts, Veolia reached out to him with a little surprise.
The Veolia team arranged for three staff and a couple of recycling collection trucks to visit Travis and deliver a goody-bag of treats. Travis was invited to sit up in a truck and chat to the staff about all aspects of their jobs. A great experience for for someone aspiring to be a ‘Garbologist’!
Thank you Veolia for supporting Tasmania’s future waste warriors and sharing this summary of their visit:
The 2019 Northern Tasmania Waste NoT Awards are bigger and better than ever!
This year there’s $2,500 worth of prizes up for grabs recognising excellence in waste avoidance, waste processing and education initiatives through to recycling, re-invention and upcycling.
Individuals, schools, businesses, community groups and not-for-profit organisations in Northern Tasmania are eligible to enter (in the Break O’Day, Northern Midlands, Launceston City, Dorset, Meander Valley, West Tamar or George Town Council areas). Categories include:
Entry nominations open Monday 1 July and close at 5.00pm on Friday 9 August 2019.
Complete the online entry form here. This link also includes the Awards’ full application guidelines and eligibility details.
Category winners receive a trophy made from recycled materials PLUS a $250 prize. There’s also a bonus $250 to be awarded to the overall winner!
The Waste NoT Awards are hosted by the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group on behalf of its member councils and are proudly supported by Veolia.
Have you been to your council’s waste transfer station or resource recovery centre lately?
It’s not a tip. It’s THE place to take unwanted items for recycling. Every council in the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group has at least one; so you don’t have to travel far (Circular Head, Waratah-Wynyard, Burnie, Central Coast, Devonport, Latrobe and Kentish Council areas).
These centres now also accept for FREE and safe recycling or disposal:
Don’t risk harming the environment by throwing them in your garbage bin.
Search for your local Council on our home page, or call your Council to find out more.
Tasmania’s three regional Waste Management Groups are encouraging everyone to celebrate 30 years of community action against litter by joining a clean-up team on Clean Up Australia Day this Sunday 3 March.
Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group member, Michael Attard, said that volunteers in last year’s Clean Up Australia Day helped remove the equivalent of 688 ute loads of rubbish from Tasmanian parks, streets and beaches and momentum was growing to do more in 2019.
“Local councils across Tasmania have witnessed a jump in community involvement in how waste is managed. Rising community awareness is driving community expectations around waste management, recycling, litter and marine debris,” Michael said. “Waste is moving from being someone else’s problem to become a hot topic where individuals are recognising the consequences of their actions – from what they buy through to how items are re-used, recycled or safely discarded.”
Clean Up Australia Day is the nation’s largest community-based environmental event, established by Ian Kiernan AO in 1989. There were an estimated 25,000 volunteers collecting litter at Tasmanian clean-up sites last year, up from around 17,000 in 2017.
Although the number of clean up volunteers has grown, some common litter items continue to be a problem across the state.
“Discarded metal and plastics were the biggest sources of rubbish collected in Tasmania last year, with alcoholic and soft drink cans making up the largest number of individual items,” said Michael.
“When looking at the grouped data, beverage containers as a category were the largest at just over 37% of all collected rubbish. States with well-established container deposit schemes such as South Australia report beverage litter at only 10% by comparison.”
“It was encouraging, however, to see a 21% drop in the volume of glass collected last year and an 8% reduction in paper. These items are easily recycled in kerbside bins or at Waste Transfer Stations and so should never end up as litter.”
Participants can register to take part in Clean Up Australia Day and find a local event at www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.
The Redcycle soft plastics recycling service is now available in Coles and Woolworths supermarkets across Tasmania.
Soft plastic that can be ‘scrunched’ is accepted for recycling via these special collection bins. Please remember that soft plastics can NOT be recycled via kerbside recycling bins in Tasmania.
Here are some examples of the soft plastics that can be dropped off at the special Redcycle recycling bins at the supermarkets:
For a full list of currently accepted soft plastic items, visit the redcycle website.
Redcycle partners with Replas to supply recycled plastics that are used to make a wide range of products from bench seats to bollards, fencing, signs and much more.
The Christmas and holiday season creates a spike in both garbage and recycling in Tasmania, but there are ways to reduce waste while retaining the festive spirit.
Tasmania’s three regional Waste Management Groups have compiled the 12 Tips of Christmas covering everything from gifts, to decorations and festive meal planning so you can get in the waste-free spirit:
Merry Christmas and best wishes for a safe and happy New Year from the Rethink Waste Tasmania team!
Rethink Waste aims to improve our efforts at reducing, reusing and 
