Report from Martyn Paterson, Vice President UOVLG, November 2024.
We had a very focussed tour of the facilities for our group, which included members from Sustainable Upper Ovens, Bright Plasticwise, U3A, UOVLG and newly elected Alpine Shire Councillor Gareth Graham and his wife.
This highly profitable operation recovers and distributes a variety of plastics including styrofoam, electrical equipment and cabling, building waste and wooden pallets, tyres, mattresses and of course food and organic waste. There was also a large indoor recycled shop open to the public which sell furniture, white goods, crockery, bikes etc
The centre is mostly focussed on domestic waste although there is a commercial waste section. Interesting to see that whilst the domestic dump site was full of ibis, pelicans, magpies, a few common myna birds and Black Kites, the commercial area had none. This is a good indication of how food waste was still making its way into red bins but not as such into commercial loads.
Of particular interest was the air-conditioned conveyor room where piles of all manner of mixed demolition and construction waste was separated.
Leaching from the site is strictly controlled as is methane gas. Those who prefer to dump rubbish without recycling are charged high fees at this site.
In a contained processing plant black soldier fly maggots are grown on supermarket food waste as high protein food for poultry farms.
We established that in Alpine Shire the red bins are sent to Wangaratta whilst the green and yellow bins (including the orange soft plastics bags on trial in Alpine Shire) go to this centre in Albury.
Halve Waste, the educational arm of the regional waste management system, have a target to halve the waste going into landfill. Such is the success of the plant that they have adjusted their target to be 80% recycled and are confident that with the community support, that target will be reached.
A tour well worth repeating, a must for anyone interested in the environment…