Indicator: Materials recycling & re-use| Indicator description | Complete list of Indicators | What the results tell us for TumutSee also: | Hazardous waste | Solid waste | During the reporting period the total amount of material recycled within the Shire has increased from 1922 tonnes in 1997–98 to 2278 tonnes in 1998–99 and 2216 tonnes in 1999–2000. This comprises paper, green waste, demolition waste, tyres, second-hand goods, car bodies, other metals and containers including steel and aluminium cans, liquid paper board, plastics (1, 2 and 3) and glass. Cooking oil and fat, clothing, motor oil and batteries are also among the materials recycled, but quantities are not known and not estimated. Comparison with 1997 estimates is difficult because those figures were in cubic metres. However, some of the 1997 estimates have been converted, based on conversion rates provided by ACT Waste Management Unit. From this, recycling of paper has increased from 480 tonnes; green waste has increased from 521 tonnes; tyres recycling has increased from 8.5 tonnes and builders' (demolition) waste has decreased from 396 tonnes.
The Council provides drop-off centres for residential, business and commercial customers where plastic, paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, steel cans glass, plastic bags and reusable items can be deposited. There is no kerbside recycling collection scheme within the Shire. About the dataChairman to Council estimates the weight of material at the gates of landfill sites. Description: What does 'materials recycling and re-use' measure?Which data are collected?
Why do we report this indicator?Recycling is the process by which used products are sent to a factory where they are reprocessed to produce the same product or a different one. Examples include recycling glass from old bottle and jars to make new glass products, and the recycling of paper into newspaper and other paper products. Another form of recycling relates to organic matter such as foodstuffs or garden wastes like leaves or grass clippings which, when composted, make useful soil additives. 'Reuse' means to use something again either for the same or a different purpose. Second-hand clothing and furniture and items salvaged from the tip fit this category. Recycling and reuse of otherwise waste materials is developing into a significant industry in the Region. The level of recycling and re-use is of concern to State of the Environment reporting because it is a response towards minimising the amount of waste requiring disposal into landfill each year, and thus reducing the impact of human settlements on the natural environment. The existence of markets for recycled materials, and their rates of uptake, indicates the viability of recycling as a self-sustaining industry into the future. Avoiding waste at the time of manufacture is a desirable feature of a sustainable society. |