A new recycling facility will be built in the Shoalhaven area of NSW that will reduce 90 per cent of garbage we place in our red bins. The facility is planned to be built by 2021.
The Shoalhaven council has realised that within 12 years, its landfill facility will reach capacity and has sought out other alternatives to reduce this problem.
How residents get rid of their rubbish will stay the same, as they put their normal rubbish in their red bin and wait for it to be collected.
However, garbage contents will be taken to the new facility for sterilisation, drying and separation into various recycled materials.
The recycling facility itself will be powered by solar roof panels and gas, which is supplemented by power from the grid as needed.
Bioelektra Australia will build and run the new facility and is very excited for this opportunity within the Shoalhaven region.
“It's going to be a revolution in the Shoalhaven economy by creating resources out of the red bin,” said Head of Bioelektra, Freddie Itaoui.
“We want people to be conscious of what they are throwing in the bin.”
Itaoui added, “That's the whole idea behind our technology.”
The Shoalhaven City Council is excited by the endeavour as well.
A statement on its website reads:
“This state-of-the-art facility will be Australia’s first Advanced Waste Treatment plant capable of diverting over 90 per cent of Mixed Waste from landfill.”
Shoalhaven Mayor Amanda Findley has said that the reason it was looking for an alternative to green bins within the area was due to the levy charged by the State Government as waste goes over the weighbridge and into landfill.
“What this technology will do, is stop it going into landfill from the get-go,” Ms Findley said.
This article was written in partnership with Over60.