Re-Think Waste

Northern Tasmanian Resource Recovery & Waste Minimisation Grants Program 2019/20

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:

decrease the amount of waste sent to landfill from core activities;
and/or
increase the recovery of resources from waste that would otherwise be lost to landfill.

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.

Travis the Garbologist gets a visit from Veolia

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:

Veolia Visits Travis the Good Sort

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Waste NoT Awards 2019 – Entries Open July 1st!

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:

Early Learners
Primary School
Secondary School
Colleges/Tertiary Education Institutes
Small to Medium Organisations (under 150 employees)
Large Organisations (over 150 employees)
Individuals
Not for Profit/Community Group; and
State/Local Government.

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.

Free Hazardous Waste Recycling and Disposal in the Cradle Coast

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:

light globes and fluoro tubes
paint and paint tins
household batteries and
electronic waste including old TVs, printers, computers, computer accessories and electrical cables.

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.

Travis the Tasmanian Garbologist
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Travis the Tasmanian Garbologist

Good Sorts

Travis the Tasmanian Garbologist

With Good Sorts like Travis, Tasmania’s future is in great hands! Travis lives in northern TAS and says that when he grows up, he wants to be a “Garbologist”. He even dressed up as one at a recent Book Week event at his school.

He’s got his family’s waste and recycling sorted and helps out with his neighbour’s bins too – rain, hail or shine. Travis knows what can and can’t be recycled and is very particular about what items go into each bin.

He’s encouraging his family to avoid – reduce- reuse and recycle as much as possible; well done Travis!

Back to the Tasmanian Good Sorts

Dumping is not the answer: disposal options in the Cradle Coast

Safely disposing of big loads of household rubbish isn’t as costly or difficult as you might think.

Local councils, not-for-profit groups and commercial businesses all provide a variety of disposal services for bulky, unwanted items. You can give away unwanted items through online networks such as freecycle.org, gumtree or Buy, Sell, Swap pages on Facebook. Often people take these items to repair or repurpose.
There are also commercial recyclers in Tasmania that can take unwanted goods for a fee – search online to find businesses near you (and some are happy to travel and collect materials too).

TYRES
Tyres can be dropped off at most tip/waste management centres for recycling. A fee applies depending on the size of the tyre (usually around $5 – $10 each).
Many car service centres offer a tyre disposal service when they fit new tyres. This fee is often cheaper and more convenient than taking the tyres to the tip yourself.

CARS
Car bodies can be sold for scrap metal recycling and can be collected for free. Contact a car wrecker or ‘cash for car’ service for a quote and to arrange drop off or collection. Some companies pay approximately $50 for a car that they collect or $70 for a car that is dropped off.

GENERAL RUBBISH
Disposal of general rubbish at any of the Cradle Coast tips can cost from approximately $10. Some councils provide tip tickets to residents in their rates notices. Contact your local Council to enquire about disposal fees at your local waste transfer station.
Excess household recyclables such as cans, bottles and cardboard can be dropped off for free at most transfer stations.
Any reusable items can dropped off at a tip shop including Burnie, Central Coast and Spreyton, for resale or reuse.

GREEN WASTE
Green waste can be disposed of at your local waste transfer station.
It is fairly simple to home compost some garden waste such as lawn clippings, leaf litter and small prunings. There’s a Rethink Waste Tasmania fact sheet on Home Composting that you can use as a guide (see our Resources page for details).

FURNITURE
Furniture in usable condition can be sold or donated. Popular online classifieds for the sale of 2nd hand goods include Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
Many charity stores accept furniture and some such as the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul offer a free collection service.
Tip shops also accept reusable furniture.

The largest Waste Transfer Stations in Circular Head, Waratah-Wynyard, Burnie, Central Coast, Devonport, Kentish and Latrobe municipal areas all accept electronic waste (e.g. televisions, computers, monitors, printers and accessories) for free recycling drop-off.

Finding it difficult to physically move unwanted bulk items?
Commercial operators can be paid to take away unwanted goods. Household goods in usable condition may also be collected by some charities. Items posted on buy/sell/swap sites are also usually collected and may even be re-purposed or repaired.
Talk to a neighbour or friend about sharing a trailer load for disposal. Secure the load for transport and sort the materials in the trailer so they’re grouped together for quick and easy drop-off.

Seen rubbish dumped where it doesn’t belong?
Report dumping hotspots to your local council and together we can find ways to stop waste items from harming Tasmania’s soil, waterways and environment. Report it and let’s get it sorted!

Bridgewater Gagebrook Clean Up Group
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Bridgewater Gagebrook Clean Up Group

Good Sorts

Bridgewater Gagebrook Clean Up Group

Mark and Ange’s energy, passion and action towards waste avoidance in Tasmania puts them firmly in the ‘good sort’ category.
Four years ago they voluntarily started cleaning up litter in Bridgewater and Gagebrook after walking over the Jordan River Bridge and noticing the extraordinary amount of debris polluting the waterway.

More than 250 shopping trolleys, 86000 cigarette butts and 38000 recyclable containers later, the Bridgewater Gagebrook Clean Up Group continues to make a significant difference to their local streets, parks and reserves. Not even a blackberry infested riverbank can deter them from hand-cutting their way to litter trapped in the vegetation!

Mark and Ange are strong advocates for a container deposit scheme in Tasmania and are motivated to make their neighbourhood look great while leaving a positive legacy for future generations. The Group has harnessed the interest of followers on social media and regularly share the volume and types of litter found to raise awareness and to stimulate behaviour change.

To get behind their efforts or to lend a hand with clean-ups, visit the Bridgewater Gagebrook Clean Up Group on Facebook

Back to the Tasmanian Good Sorts

Circular Head Aboriginal Corp
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Circular Head Aboriginal Corp

Good Sorts

Circular Head Aboriginal Corp

Dutchy and his work-team at Trawmanna are truly good sorts. Not only have they converted used 1.25L plastic bottles into a functional and stylish greenhouse, but they’ve also managed to salvage a wide range of materials to complete the job from a screen door, to bricks and old tent poles.
The idea to build a greenhouse from recycled materials was devised by the Circular Head Aboriginal Corp (CHAC) after Smithton won the 2017 National Tidy Town Award. While attending the Award ceremony, CHAC members were inspired by similar projects that combined waste minimisation with community nutrition and nurturing programs.
The greenhouse sits within a community garden at Trawmanna and will be a valuable addition for the young families who come together to raise fruit and vegetable seeds and propagate cuttings of native plants. The roof is half salvaged Perspex sheets and half plastic bottles, allowing for both wet and dry areas to suit different growing needs. The bottled-wall design also allows airflow while retaining warmth. The unused part of the bottles are being converted into planter pots and waste cardboard is frequently used as a weed mat under pathways. The team has also been experimenting with mulched polystyrene waste and concrete to create insulated pavers for the hothouse floor.
What a great example of ingenuity that is turning trash into nutritious and tasty treasures!

Back to the Tasmanian Good Sorts

688 Ute Loads of Litter and Counting

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.

Soft Plastics Recycling

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:

Plastic bags
Bread bags (ties and tags removed)
Foil lined chip packets
Frozen food and veggie bags
Confectionery bags
Cereal box liner bags
Old ‘green’ reusable shopping bags
Rice and pasta packets
Plastic wrap from the outside of toilet paper and paper towels
Large pieces of plastic that furniture comes wrapped in (cut in to A3 sized pieces).

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.