POLYSTYRENE RECYCLING TO CONTINUE
A Polystyrene Recycling Program at Whylandra Waste and Recycling Centre will become a permanent fixture, following a successful trail.
Dubbo Regional Council trialled the program at the centre over the past two months with 72m³ of polystyrene dropped off during the trial period.
“We are really happy with the results from the polystyrene recycling trial. Our aim was to fill one 1m³ polystyrene storage bag a day and we ended up with 72 bags full during the trial period,” Manager Resource Recovery and Efficiency Jamie Lobb said.
The Foam Muncher vehicle recently came onsite where it melted down the polystyrene into blocks which are then transported to manufacturers to turn into a variety of new products such as skirting boards, flooring, picture frames and railway sleepers.
After its success in Dubbo the polystyrene recycling trial will now be rolled out to the Wellington and Village transfer stations commencing in the near future.
“The next step in the trial is to expand it further to include residents with access to the Wellington and Villages transfer stations to divert more polystyrene from landfill,” Mr Lobb said.
As part of the 2040 Community Strategic Plan, Council is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and the impact on the environment through waste management processes. The continuation of new programs that divert waste and recycle products is a major priority for Council.
“Being able to divert polystyrene waste from landfill is a big win for Council as we have big goals to reach 80 per cent waste to landfill diversion by 2030,”
Over 71,000 tonnes of polystyrene is produced and used every year in Australia with a staggering 85 per cent of this product going to landfill.
“At this stage we don’t have plans to expand the trial to commercial business but encourage commercial operations to explore direct recycling options similar to what is done with cardboard to reduce their environmental footprint.”
Clean polystyrene free of any tape or other materials can continue to be dropped off to the Whylandra Waste and Recycling Centre. More information about the commencement of the polystyrene recycling trial for Wellington and Village transfer stations will be available in the near future.
Last Edited: 04 Sep 2023