Make the grade with kerbside recycling assessments

Kerbside recycling bin assessments are conducted a couple of times a year in North West Tasmania.

Since the kerbside recycling bin assessments began in the Cradle Coast in 2014, there has been a 37% improvement in the number of pass grades achieved when checked for general waste, green waste or other non-recyclable materials.  Well done everyone!

Recycling bins containing more than 10% of non-recyclable materials, known as contamination, classify as a fail in the bin assessment program, which is coordinated across seven local councils as part of the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group’s waste minimisation work.

If you missed out on the recent kerbside recycling bin assessments or you’d like to brush up your skills before the next assessment, then take our quiz to help you to get sorted!

Click the links below to access more information about kerbside recycling:

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A-Z of Waste & Recycling in North and North West Tasmania

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What does the recycling symbol on my items mean?

Where does my recycling go?

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Household battery recycling

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The results of a recent waste audit have shown that people in north west and northern Tasmania do not have an environmentally friendly way to dispose of their used household batteries, with a significant number buried in landfill.

Household dry-cell batteries including AA, AAA, alkaline, lithium, watch, button and cordless drill batteries can now be recycled by taking them to special drop-off points in your local Council office, and other public venues.  Look out for the Rethink Waste Battery Recycling posters and simply drop tbattery-recycling-sign-and-bin-lid-onhem in the special bins provided.

Collected batteries will be sorted and safely shipped to processors who recover materials from the different battery types as inputs to new products.

So when your household batteries are going, going, gone; give them a second life by recycling at your nearest drop-off point:

Break O’Day Council:

  • Customer Service Centre, 32 – 34 Georges Bay Esplanade, St Helens

Burnie City Council:

  • Council Office
  • Tip Shop
  • Waste Management Centre

Central Coast Council:

  • Castra WTS
  • Council Administration Centre
  • Penguin Service Centre
  • Preston WTS
  • South Riana WTS
  • Ulverstone Resource Recovery Centre
  • Ulverstone Visitor Information Centre

Circular Head Council:

  • Phone Council Office for more information 6452 4800

City of Launceston: 

  • Customer Service Centre, Town Hall, St John Street, Launceston
  • Launceston Recycling Centre, Cavalry Road, Mowbray

Devonport City Council:

  • Council Office
  • Lawrence Drive Works Depot
  • Spreyton WTS

Dorset Council:

  • Council Chambers
  • Bridport Pavilion

George Town Council:

  • Council Chambers, 16 – 18 Anne Street, George Town

Kentish Council:

  • Council Office
  • Sheffield WTS
  • Wilmot WTS

Latrobe Council:

  • Council Office
  • Port Sorell WTS

Meander Valley Council:

  • Deloraine Refuse Disposal Site, Tip Road, Deloraine

Northern Midlands Council:

  • Longford Waste Transfer Station, 291 Marlborough Street, Longford

Waratah Wynyard Council:

  • Wynyard WTS

West Tamar Council:

  • Beaconsfield Service Centre
  • Riverside Service Centre

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Free mobile phone recycling

Councils in the North and North West of Tasmania are accepting unwanted mobile phones and accessories for recycling. Check out the fact sheet below for more information.

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Resources

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Mobile Muster Poster - What happens to mobile phones?

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Mobile phone recycling fact sheet

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Waste composition audits

In 2010 the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group (CCWMG) & Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group (NTWMG) conducted a waste audit of the seven landfills in the region; this audit provided a snapshot of the breakup of waste going into landfill but didn’t specifically highlight the waste generated by households.

To gain a better understanding of what waste is being generated by households, a kerbside waste composition assessment was conducted at selected areas across the north and north west of Tasmania in 2014. To protect the privacy of participating households, all waste collected as part of the audit was aggregated prior to sorting and all auditors submitted to relevant police checks. . The results of the audit will assist the CCWMG & NTWMG to identify target wastes for recovery and allow for the monitoring of the effectiveness of regional waste reduction programs. The NTWMG audit report can be found below. The CCWMG report will follow shortly.

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NTWMG 2014 Waste composition audit report

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Kerbside recycling assessments

The search for great environmental outcomes knows no bounds in northern and north-western Tasmania – and two key groups are ready to get elbow-deep in rubbish to help out.

The Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group (NTWMG) conducts an ongoing assessment of kerbside recycling bins and the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group (CCWMG) will be restarting assessments on the 14th November 2016, giving residents feedback on how their efforts measure up.

“Things like electrical items, plastic bags and coat hangers can ruin good recyclables, damage collection trucks and even cause injuries to the people who sort your recycling,” according to Harry Galea, the NTWMG chair and Launceston City Council infrastructure services director.

“There is some very real and genuine confusion over what can and cannot be recycled in the kerbside recycling collection.”

The assessment will include three components:

Each kerbside recycling bin under the assessment may be checked up to three consecutive times.
A pass, improvement required or fail sticker or tag will be left on each bin after each inspection.
A form outlining the reason for the decision will be left in the resident’s mailbox.
The NTWMG will be assessing a sample of every suburb and town within the Dorset, George Town, Launceston, Meander Valley, Northern Midlands and West Tamar council areas will be assessed during the next 2 years. While the CCWMG assessments will be at random in each municipality from Smithton to Latrobe.

“This program aims to reduce the high contamination rates found in kerbside recycling bins in the northern and north-western regions through provision of immediate feedback to residents and direct education,” Mr Galea said.

“Reducing the amount of contamination will ensure we’re getting the most out of everyone’s good work in supporting the recycling effort and also reduce the amount of rubbish headed for landfill.”

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Resources

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Do not put recycling in plastic bags flyer

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Signage unification

Both the Cradle Coast Waste Management Group (CCWMG) and the Northern Tasmanian Waste Management Group (NTWMG) have five year waste management strategies. One action found within both strategies is the development and implementation of a communications/education plan for the region, including consistent signage.

In order to achieve greater economies of scale and consistency across the entire north/north-western side of the state, the two groups decided to work together to create and install consistent signage at all waste transfer stations within the two regions.

Signs were delivered to all participating councils in May 2014.

The CCWMG and the NTWMG would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Sustainability Victoria and the NSW Environmental Protection Authority for the provision of images used within the signs.

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METALS - Aluminium cans

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HAZARDOUS - Car batteries

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HAZARDOUS - Gas bottles

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GLASS - Glass bottles & jars

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LIQUID - Motor oil

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HAZARDOUS - Batteries

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INERT - Bricks & tiles

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PAPER/CARD - Cardboard

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METALS - Car bodies

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INERT - Concrete & cement

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