Recycling, reusing and repurposing was a major theme for the Bundaberg Region in 2022 with plenty of residents taking advantage of programs, initiatives and Council facilities to ensure they were helping to protect the environment.
Waste and Recycling portfolio spokesperson Cr Tanya McLoughlin said there had been plenty of items recycled straight from households last year, with the majority of the community making good use of yellow-lidded bins or the Containers for Change scheme.
“Throughout the region, each household recycled about 133 kg in the yellow-lidded bins last year, which equates to about 2.5 kg in each bin per week,” she said.
“This has all been sorted through the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) which is operated by Impact Community Services under a program established to provide employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities.
“The organisation is also a partner with the Containers for Change initiative which saw 60 kg of cans collected per household, or 1.1 kg a week.
“This is a fantastic result for our region.”
Cr McLoughlin said recycling was a whole-of-community approach that required small lifestyle changes in order to make a big impact in the region.
“It's so important to recycle right in order to reduce unnecessary waste going into landfill and ultimately, help to protect the environment,” she said.
“If every household ensures they are doing a few small things to recycle, it can really have a huge and positive affect.
“From taking e-waste to special collection points, recycling the right items in your garbage bin or utilising free initiatives like Containers for Change – there are so many ways to keep waste out of landfill.”
Last year, materials recycled from Bundaberg Regional Council waste facilities included:
- Mattresses: 11,300 items
- Irrigation trickle tape: 420 tonnes
- Paint: 35 tonnes
- Engine oil: 43 tonnes
- E-waste: 311 tonnes
- Tyres: 90 tonnes
Items and materials recovered or recycled through private operators and Council included:
- Green waste: 26,000 tonnes
- Steel: 10,000 tonnes
- Concrete: 13,000 tonnes
- Cardboard: 7000 tonnes
To help with your recycling goals, Bundaberg Regional Council offers a range of programs and initiatives including:
- eWaste (electronic waste)
- Fluorocycle
- Mobile phone recycling (Mobile Muster)
- drumMUSTER
- Paintback
- ChemClear
- Container refund scheme
- Batteries
Find out more here.
