8/14/2019 Managing Rubbish 008

1/2

The Rubbish MountainLast year , Darwin landlled over 85 000 tonnes of wastematerial at the Shoal Bay Waste Disposal Site. This quantityis approximately one tonne of waste per person every man,woman and child.

Australia spends hundreds of millions a year getting rid of rubbish and rates second in the world as a waste-producingnation. Rubbish and its management is a major problem for many councils because we produce more rubbish today thanever before in human histor y. Cities are running out of placesto put their rubbish and pollution problems at some tips arebecoming serious. Howeve r , concern about today s mountain of rubbish and the throwaway mentality is taking hold and manypeople now realise the urgency of the problem and want to dosomething to help.

Many families and individuals are working hard at recycling in their work places and homes. Where once the individual e ffort seemedof little help, the individual e fforts of many are now turning the tideand almost one fth of Darwin's domestic rubbish was recycled

last year .

A lot is in the PackageAt least a third of Australian dome sti c rubbish come s fromcommercial packaging. The simple step of using less and moreenvironment-friendly packaging would soon decrease the wastegenerated.

Over-packaging is one of the biggest contributors to our wasteproblem. Reducing packaging keeps our streets cleane r, requiresfewer resources, leads to less pollution. It also means that lessland is needed for dumping. Re-using and recycling are the mostenvironmentally aware options for waste disposal and many local

councils in di fferent parts of the world are establishing strongrecycling strategies.

The Shoal Bay Waste Disposal SiteThe Shoal Bay Waste Disposal Site in Leanyer in Darwins northernsuburbs is open every day of the year from 7.00am-6.00pm excepton Christmas Day when slightly shorter hours may apply . Thereare three areas in which to dump rubbish: the transfer station for domestic waste, the mulching area for commercial and domesticclean loads of garden waste, and the tip face for commercial wasteand large items. Cooperation in rubbish dumping is essential for responsible management of the tip.

Recyclable materials can be left at the drop off facility near themain gate or in the marked areas at the transfer station.

Shoal Bay Salvage Depot shopA salvage contractor operates on the site to salvage usable itemsand materials. Each year many tonnes of recyclable metals areremov ed for sale as sc rap metal . Many other items and materials aretransferred to the Salvage Shop where the community can inspectthem with the view to buying cheap , second-hand goods. Everyon e

is encouraged to deposit all useful items at the Salvage Depotrather than disposing of them in the bins or at the tip face.

why not recycle at home work and playWe all recycle at home, it's easy and convenient and is a goodway to do our bit to help the environment.Why not start a recycling program in your work place. Contactyour local waste service provider for details on recyclingservices for businesses. Let everyone know that they canrecycle at work, it's as easy as it is at home.Don't forget to recycle when you're out having fun or on holiday.Simply collect your recyclables in a bag and take them homefor your recycling bin. If you're on holidays ask a local how to

recylce.

Kerbside RecyclingCouncil's kerbside recycling service commenced in the DarwinMunicipality in 1997. The service provides every resident witha handy and convenient recycling system.

The recycling bins have a 240 litre capacity and a yellow lid for easy identication. Information stickers inside the bin lid explainuse and acceptable recyclable materials.

Acceptable products for the kerbside recycling service are:

aluminium and steel cans glass

plastics (PE T and HDPE - check the recyclingstamps on the bottom - these are marked with a1 or 2.

paper and cardboard liquid paperboard (eg milk cartons) steel cans

Only these products listed should be placed in your yellow liddedrecycling bin. All other waste should go into your rubbish bin.Recyclables should be empty, clean and dry before being placedloose in the yellow-lidded recycling bin.

Shoal Bay Waste Disposal Site ManagementThe S hoal Bay Waste Disposal Site is managed under con trac t and

operates to current environmental legislation and guidelines.

Managing rubbish

8/14/2019 Managing Rubbish 008

2/2

MulchingThe mulching machine mulches separated green waste broughtto the site. However, this green waste must be uncontaminatedby other materials.

Mulching provides an effective alternative for managing organic

rubbish. Last year it resulted in around ten thousand tonnes of green waste being diverted from the Disposal Site.

Household ChemicalsMany household chemicals can add to the toxicity of wastebeing burried in land ll. To help minimise the toxicity of waste going to land ll residents can take their householdchemicals to Shoal Bay Waste Disposal site. Chemicals,pesticides, fertilisers, batteries and chemical products for thekitchen, bathroom and laundry can be taken to Shoal Bay.Pharmaceutical medicine wastes can be dropped off at localchemists participating in the Opal Medicine Collection Scheme.

LeachateLeachate is an undesirable but unavoidable by-product of theland ll method of waste disposal.

Leachate will be comprehensively managed on site to avoid anycontamination of the environment.

The Leachate at Shoal Bay Waste Disposal Site is collectedand irrigated over revegetated areas, utilising its nutrient-richproperties. The revegetation of garbage disposal areas is animportant environmental issue and the use of leachate for irrigation,particularly in the dry season, enhances plant growth.

Landfill GasLand ll gas is another undesirable but inevitable by-product of the land ll method of waste disposal. Land ll gas is a mixtureof methane and carbon dioxide which is produced when organicmaterial breaks down.

The undesirable effects of landfill gas are the odours,atmospheric emissions, an increased re hazard and a slowingof revegetation. Primarily constituted of methane, properly tapped land ll gas canbe a valuable resource for energy production. However, if allowedto escape into the atmosphere, it adds to the greenhouse effect.

Council has signed a contract for the extracting land ll gas fromthe Shoal Bay Waste Disposal Site for power generation.

Car Bodies and White GoodsCar bodies can be deposited at Shoal Bay waste disposal site for a fee. Many metal recyclers around Darwin will accept car bodies

for free. White goods can also be deposited at Shoal Bay's vehicleand white goods area.