TH E RECYCLING REVOLUTION A GUIDE TO RECYCLING RIGHT

TH E RECYCLING REVOLUTION A GUIDE TO RECYCLING RIGHT

INTRODUCTION Northern Rivers Waste is the waste services arm of Lismore City Council, providing residential collections and tailored commercial waste management solutions. Our aim is to reduce the environmental, social and financial impacts of waste management through industry best practice. We aim to support our community to avoid waste generation and promote waste as a valuable resource to be reused, recovered and recycled. In 2014 Council constructed a $3.65 million Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), a specialised plant that sorts and separates recyclable materials, ready to be sent off and made into new products. We process organics and green waste into nutrient-rich mulch and compost, run the Revolve Shop for the sale of pre-loved household goods, and provide community and school groups with the opportunity to see all of these processes in action through our many education programs and on-site tours. By dealing with the waste we create in our own backyards, we are working toward the Imagine Lismore goal of becoming a model of sustainability.

By dealing with the waste we create in our own backyards, we are working toward the Imagine Lismore goal of becoming a model of sustainability.

OUR LOCATIONS LISMORE RECYCLING & RECOVERY CENTRE 313 Wyrallah Road, East Lismore OPENING HOURS: Monday to Friday Saturday and Sunday Public holidays NIMBIN WASTE TRANSFER STATION Blade Road, Nimbin OPENING HOURS: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 7am-4pm 9am-4pm CLOSED 9am-3pm Waste brought to the transfer station is charged by the 240L wheelie bin or equivalent. RESOURCE RECOVERY COLLECTION STATIONS To assist in the collection of special recyclable materials, free Resource Recovery Collection Stations have been established across the Lismore City Council area at the following locations: Lismore City Council Corporate Centre in Goonellabah. Co-Op Bookshop at Southern Cross University. Bunnings Warehouse, Bruxner Highway, Lismore. Nimbin Waste Transfer Station. Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre. Items accepted for collection include household batteries, mobile phones, reading glasses, printer cartridges, CDs and DVDs, corks and X-rays. RECYCLING DROP-OFF CENTRES Brewster Street, Lismore (opposite Lismore Shopping Square) OPENING HOURS: Daily 7am-8pm Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre The drop-off centre has a number of large skips and smaller bins for the drop-off of recyclable items including: Paper and cardboard. Mixed recycling. Polystyrene and plastic wrap. Resource Recovery Collection Satchels. The drop-off centre is also the location of a community sharps collection bin. LISMORE REVOLVE SHOP Located within the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre OPENING HOURS: Tuesday Thursday Friday Saturday Monday, Wednesday, Sunday 9am-2pm 9am-1pm 9am-1pm 9am-1pm CLOSED

OUR WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE Lismore City Council offers a range of waste collection services. These are the standard services available throughout the area: URBAN WASTE COLLECTION 360-litre recycling bin 240-litre organics bin 140-litre waste bin Organics kitchen caddy RURAL WASTE COLLECTION 360-litre recycling bin 240-litre waste bin Please note: With the introduction of our MRF, the new standard yellow-lidded recycling bin is a larger, 360-litre bin. Most people have a 240-litre bin. Should you wish to upsize your recycling bin, this can be done for a one-off fee. Please contact Council on 1300 87 83 87 for details. COMMERCIAL WASTE COLLECTION You choose! As a business you can decide which size bin best suits your needs. We have bins for waste, organics, recycling, paper and cardboard. Choose from a 240-litre, 360-litre, 660-litre or 1100-litre bin and let us tailor a service to accommodate the needs of your business. OUR WASTE VOUCHERS Lismore City Council offers all households three free visits to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre each year through our electronic waste voucher system. Voucher holders can dispose of approximately one ute or trailer load of waste each visit. (Conditions apply.) For full details and application forms visit www.nothernriverswaste.com.au.

YOUR WASTE SERVICE YES these items go in your WASTE bin Loose plastic bags or soft plastics Disposable nappies Cigarette butts Kitty litter Chip packets Treated timber Any foil-lined packaging Important: Remember these basic rules for all your wheelie bins: Please do not overfill your bin - lids should be shut. Place your bins out for collection the night prior. Place your bins 50cm apart on the kerb. Do not compact your waste inside the bin as this may result in it failing to empty. Check there is sufficient clearance above your bin - no overhanging tree limbs or powerlines.

NO these items are not acceptable Gas bottles and fire extinguishers HAZARDOUS WASTE Gas bottles and fire extinguishers can be taken to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre for disposal. Charges may apply. Hazardous chemicals Soil (large amounts) Asbestos Chemicals, acids and paints can be taken to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre for correct disposal. Asbestos can be disposed of safely with a Household Asbestos Disposal Kit. These are available for purchase from Council for only $30, which includes a voucher to dispose of up to 100kg of asbestos, or 10 square metres. Our DIY kits provide everything you need from goggles and coveralls to drop sheets and waste asbestos bags so you can safely remove asbestos from your home. Under NSW law, people can only remove 10 square metres of asbestos without a licensed contractor.

YOUR ORGANICS SERVICE YES these items go in your green bin Fruit and vegetable scraps Grass clippings and leaves Pruned garden waste, twigs and small branches Soiled paper/ cardboard, i.e. pizza boxes and paper towel Meat and fish Pasta, bread and rice Shredded paper Important: To prevent smells occurring in your large organics bin try the following: Keep the bin in the shade. Try layering your fruit and vegetable scraps with other green waste (lawn clippings, leaves, etc.) Wrap vegetable scraps in newspaper. Hose out your bin on the garden or lawn after it is emptied. Use compostable bags purchased through Council to collect your kitchen organics.

NO these items are not acceptable Large amounts of soil Treated timber Plastic bags or plant pots Council is committed to keeping waste out of landfill and reducing greenhouse gases by recycling our organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. In landfill, organic waste breaks down to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent than CO². To assist residents we introduced the BIOcycle system, which combines a kitchen caddy with compostable bags to assist in the collection of organic food waste inside the home. The BIOcycle system makes it easy to recycle organics with no mess or nasty odours. The use of compostable bags in the caddies makes it easy to transfer your household organics from the kitchen to your large organics bin. Kitchen caddies and compostable bag liners are available for purchase from Council s Corporate Centre in Goonellabah or our Save n Waste Recycle Stores located within SHOPBABY at 126 Woodlark Street, Lismore, or the Lismore Revolve Shop, 313 Wyrallah Road, East Lismore.

YOUR RECYCLING SERVICE YES these items go in your recycling bin Paper, cardboard and magazines All hard plastic containers Aluminium cans and clean foil, aerosol and steel cans Glass bottles and jars, crockery, drinking glasses, pyrex and plate glass Bagged plastic bags and soft plastics Clean, white (bagged) polystyrene Specially marked Resource Recovery Collection Satchels RECYCLE RIGHT = RECYCLE MORE! Having trouble fitting all of your recycling in your 240-litre bin? You can now purchase a 360-litre bin for a one-off fee. Phone us on 1300 87 83 87.

NO these items are not acceptable Nappies Clothing and textiles Garden organics and food scraps Loose plastic bags or wrapping Loose polystyrene String, rope or cable Shredded paper (this belongs in your organics bin) Scrap metal and appliances Grab a Resource Recovery Collection Satchel Resource Recovery Collection Satchels enable us to collect problem waste through the recycling service. Problem waste includes household batteries, reading glasses, corks, CDs and DVDs, mobile phones and accessories, small electronics (such as cameras, ipods, calculators), printer cartridges, smoke detectors and electrical cords. These items must be placed into a Resource Recovery Collection Satchel prior to being placed into your recycling bin. The Resource Recovery Collection Satchels are available free from the Revolve Shop, Council's Corporate Centre in Goonellabah and your local library. Windscreen glass PLEASE! NO sharps! NO dead animals! NO asbestos!

A RECYCLING REVOLUTION In 2014 we constructed a state-of-the-art, $3.65 million Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Glass Processing Plant. Our MRF (pronounced 'Murph') is a specialised plant that sorts and separates recyclables, ready to be sent off and made into new products.

Our MRF processes up to 20,000 tonnes of recyclables per year including materials from our four neighbouring councils, making Lismore the recycling hub of the region. The Glass Processing Plant is purpose built to recover glass from the co-mingled recycling stream and crush the glass to produce glass sand for road construction. The glass sand has an internal market within Council as it can be used at Council s asphalt plant at Blakebrook Quarry instead of mined sand. This reduces truck movements on the road, the amount of glass going to landfill and the volume of raw materials we need to dig up. This is good news, as making roadbase from recycled materials uses considerably less energy and water, and creates less air pollution. Our MRF earns Council money and enables us as a community to deal with the waste created in our own backyards. This is helping us work toward the Imagine Lismore goal of Lismore becoming a model of sustainability.

how d cardboard scre 2 household recyclables delivered to MRF 1 manual pre-sort recyclables enter here waste/ contamination RRC SATCHELS BAGGED POLYSTYRENE BAGGED plastic bags legend A journey through MRF waste bagged plastic bags, resource recovery collection satchels, bagged polystyrene paper & cardboard glass plastic steel aluminium magnet (removes lids) glass imploder 1. 2. steel ( jar lids ) 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

en oes it work? cardboard glass 3 screen 4 newsprint screen newsprint waste manual 6 paper sort mixed paper screen 5 mixed paper 7 magnet glass screen manual 8 plastics sort steel baled steel eddy current 9 mixed plastic baled plastic glass sand 10 residual waste aluminium baled aluminium All materials printed on Australian made, 100% carbon-neutral paper.

the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin THE DIRTY DOZEN 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 1 BAG THE BAG You can recycle all soft plastic packaging including plastic bags, clean cling wrap, frozen vegie bags, pasta and biscuit packets etc. Place it all in a bag, tie it up and put it in your recycling bin. the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin Did you know? Every week in Australia, 17.5 million steel cans are recycled enough steel to build 900 new cars. r U l e 4 Shredded paper clogs our hard-working MRF machinery. Pop it in your organics bin instead. The MRF processes 150-200 tonnes of recycling every single week. The most common form of hazardous waste generated by Australians is batteries. NO NEED TO WASH Recyclable containers need to be empty and free of food but they don t need to be washed. Save time and elbow grease.

the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 2 r U l e 3 ROADS PAVED WITH GLASS All glass and crockery will be crushed into sand and used for road base. Pyrex, drinking glasses, crockery and window glass are now accepted in your recycling bin along with glass bottles and jars. No windscreens please. NO STRINGS ATTACHED String, rope and electrical cable can become tangled around the MRF machinery, hindering the recycling process. Please do not place these items in your recycling bin. the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 5 r U l e 6 CLEAN POLYSTYRENE Clean, white polystyrene can now be placed in your recycling bin. Put it in a plastic bag and tie it up. Please no bean bag beans. LEAVE THE LABEL The labels on bottles and containers wash off during the recycling process. There is no need to remove them.

the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin THE DIRTY DOZEN 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 7 KEEP IT LOOSE Place recyclables into the bin loose not stacked inside one another or in plastic bags. (This excludes polystyrene and soft plastics.) the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin Did you know? Australia is one of the highest waste generating countries in the world. r U l e 10 Recycling old aluminium uses only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium. The energy saved by recycling one aluminium can is enough to run a TV for three hours. Each week we recycle approximately 90,000 cans through our MRF. NO FOOD PLEASE Food and food-spoiled paper and cardboard items such as pizza boxes and paper towel do not belong in your recycling bin. Please put these items in your green organics bin.

the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 8 r U l e 9 HARDEN UP You can place all hard plastics in your recycling bin regardless of whether they display the triangle or not. This includes plastic tableware, toys and plant pots. the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin GRAB A SATCHEL Grab a Resource Recovery Collection Satchel for household batteries, reading glasses, corks, X-rays, CDs and DVDs, mobile phones and accessories, printer cartridges, small electronics, electrical cords and smoke alarms. the dirty dozen 12 Recycling Rules for your yellow bin r U l e 11 r U l e 12 PUT A LID ON IT You can now leave the lids on all your recyclables. Put the lids back on your plastic bottles and containers, glass jars and bottles (including twist tops) and put them in your recycling bin. EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS Place all small plastics such as bread tags and straws in an empty milk bottle, put the lid on and place in your recycling bin. They are too small for the MRF machinery to remove on their own but are still a valuable resource.

In a throwaway society full of waste, it feels good to purchase products you know are kind on the environment. Our Save n Waste Recycle Stores stock eco-friendly household items for your own home as well as groovy, sustainable products that make excellent, guilt-free gifts. We have stores within SHOPBABY at 126 Woodlark Street, Lismore, and at the Lismore Revolve Shop. The range of products is amazing from the ever-popular compost caddies and Biobags, which keep your kitchen odour and mess-free, to biodegradable bin liners and reusable drink bottles. As well as these clever and useful household items, there are plenty of other products that make great presents for your loved ones. Our cute mini wheelie bins are an absolute hit with the kids or choose from a funky reusable coffee cup or eco-silk shopping bag, available in all shades of the rainbow. Drop in to the Save n Waste Recycle Store today. Save n Waste Recycle Stores 126 Woodlark Street, Lismore, and at the Lismore Revolve Shop, 313 Wyrallah Road, East Lismore.

LISMORE REVOLVE SHOP There s always a bargain to be found at the Lismore Revolve Shop, our second-hand store. Located within the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre on Wyrallah Road, the Lismore Revolve Shop sells a range of second-hand goods, promoting reuse and keeping them out of landfill. You will find everything from bikes and lawnmowers to suitcases and lounge suites even the kitchen sink! Come and discover treasures and bargains galore.

EDUCATION Council provides a range of education services to help householders, school students, early childhood organisations, businesses and community groups understand more about resource recovery, waste management and recycling. These services include group tours of the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre, business waste assessments, home visits, displays at events and local shopping centres, and in-service presentations to school and community groups. You can also visit the Lismore City Environment Education Centre, which offers facilities for workshops and school group events. LISMORE RECYCLING & RECOVERY CENTRE TOURS Guided bus tours of the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre are available to school and community groups. They are an excellent way for kids and adults alike to see first-hand what happens to the waste we create in our own homes. Watch how your recycling is separated, see the landfill up close and personal, or watch polystyrene being melted. There is always much to learn and discover at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre. If you're lucky, you may even get to meet one of our resident koalas! Making a booking or enquiry. Tours are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. For bookings contact the Waste Hotline on 1300 87 83 87.

LISMORE RAINFOREST BOTANIC GARDENS The Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens sits within the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre, providing a beautiful backdrop to the facility. Officially opened to the public in June 2013, the focus of these unique gardens is on rainforest and other plant species endemic to an area within 200km of Lismore. The aim is to support the conservation of local rainforest species, facilitate scientific plant research, educate the public about this special environment, and provide a place for recreation. The gardens feature several walking paths and shaded picnic areas, and are open to the public 7am-4pm weekdays and 9am-4pm on weekends. The gardens are continually expanding and improving, due largely to a group of energetic volunteers called Friends of the Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens. The Friends have a working group in the garden every Wednesday morning and the last Sunday of the month. New volunteers are very welcome.

In addition to our kerbside recycling programs, Northern Rivers Waste operates an extensive range of recycling programs including: AGRICYCLE Lismore City Council rural recycling program oil oil filters Used oil and oil filters are collected and recycled. Oil filters are crushed to remove the residue oil and the casing is recycled. Volumes of oil over 100 litres will attract a handling fee. SILAGE WRAP farm plastics Silage wrap is made from linear, low-density polyethylene and is fully recyclable. The wrap must be kept separate from twine and netting, shaken to remove any residue and rolled into a tight ball. chemicals Farm plastics such as stock feed and bulk bags can be dropped off free of charge. Please roll the bags into a tight ball farm drums Up to 20 litres/20 kilograms can be dropped off free of charge at any one time for recycling. Volumes over 20 litres/20 kilograms will be accepted but charges will apply at a per kilogram rate. Plastic and steel chemical drums of all sizes are recycled. The plastic drums are made into new drums and wheelie bins. Drums must be triple rinsed and have lids removed. All of the items above can be dropped off at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE (C&D) Much of the waste produced when constructing, renovating and demolishing homes can be reused or recycled. They can be taken to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre (fees apply). Items include: Concrete Steel and aluminium Timber Bricks and tiles Glass Gypsum plasterboard Carpets (in good condition) ELECTRONIC WASTE ewaste is accepted at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre free of charge. Items include: Televisions Personal computers, laptops, notebooks, palmtops and tablets Computer monitors Parts for personal computers e.g. internal hard drives, motherboards, cards, DVD and CD drives, internal power supplies, CPUs Computer peripherals e.g. mice, keyboards, joysticks, game-pads, scanners, web cameras Printers e.g. ink-jet, dot matrix, laser and multi-functional devices FLUORESCENT LIGHT GLOBES These can be recycled at the following locations: Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre Lismore City Council Corporate Centre, 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah Nimbin Waste Transfer Station, Blade Road, Nimbin Cetnaj Electrical, Wyrallah Road, East Lismore Haymans Electrical, Snow Street, South Lismore Bunnings Warehouse, Bruxner Highway, South Lismore POLYCYCLE Polystyrene can be recycled at: Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre Brewster Street Drop-off Centre

OUR ORGANIC BIOCYCLE COMPOST IS MAGIC FOR YOUR GARDEN At the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre we are closing the loop on our organics recycling, turning food and garden waste collected from homes across the Northern Rivers into nutrientrich BIOcycle compost for local farms and backyard gardens. The 100% certified organic BIOcycle compost is magic for your garden and suitable for use by organic farmers and producers. Once the contents of kerbside organics bins is brought to our facility, the material is stockpiled into rows, shredded and then placed onto our composting pad where it continues to break down. A system of pipes under the piles aerates the compost, reducing the need to turn them and allowing compost to be made within 12 weeks. The piles are maintained at a temperature greater than 60º Celsius, killing off pathogens and weed seeds. The composted material is then screened to remove plastics and graded to produce two compost products: a 10mm product, which is a great soil enhancer, and a 20mm product. Both can be purchased via the weighbridge at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre from 7am to 3.45pm Monday to Friday. 10mm compost is $35 a cubic metre. 20mm compost is $15 a cubic metre.

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Our first electric car the future has arrived! Lismore City Council now has a 100% electric car. The Nissan Leaf does not use any fossil fuels and plugs into the wall at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre so it can charge straight from the rooftop solar panels. The new car has lithium-ion batteries and can travel up to 170km on a full charge. It features a small solar panel on the rear spoiler which powers many of the interior accessories via a 12-volt battery. Some of the car parts are even made from old products including water bottles and plastic bags. Our solar investment free energy from the sun In 2014 we installed a 100kW solar photovoltaic system at the MRF, which powers 80% of the MRF's total power consumption. We also have two 20kW systems at the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre to reduce our electricity consumption and costs. It makes sense to take advantage of our large roof space and save money and emissions by using free energy from the sun. Our phytocapping site a NSW first In 2013 we opened the Wyrallah Road Phytocap Rehabilitation Site the first licensed phytocap site in NSW. In essence, a phytocap is a complex layer of local native vegetation that controls drainage on old landfill sites, replacing the traditional method of capping, which involves the layering of clay, gravel and dirt. We have a 1.3-hectare phytocap site, which is planted chiefly with koala habitat species. As these grow, a diverse understorey will be established. Phytocapping is around half the cost of standard landfill capping and increases existing koala habitat. All these measures are working toward the community s vision of Lismore becoming a model of sustainability. They are also helping us move closer to our goal of generating all Council electricity from renewable resources by 2023.

BE A PART OF THE RECYCLING REVOLUTION! For more information contact the Waste Hotline on 1300 87 83 87. www.northernriverswaste.com.au www.lismore.nsw.gov.au www.facebook.com/lismorecitycouncil Printed on recycled, carbon-neutral paper.