Help keep Nimbin recycling clean Lismore City Council is putting a call out to Nimbin to help keep contaminants out of recycling. Loads of recycling from Nimbin are taken to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Lismore for processing, however, staff are finding they are full of non-recyclable items. These include: • Needles/syringes • Garden and food waste • General bags of waste • Electrical appliances and large metal items This contaminates any clean recycling and makes it very dangerous for MRF staff who have the job of sorting recyclables. “The syringes are a real problem for us and pose a very serious health risk to our workers,” Waste Education Officer Danielle Hanigan said. “We know that in all likelihood, the high level of tourists who visit Nimbin are probably contributing to the contamination as they may not be aware about recycling. All we can do is ask the local community to spread the word about how to recycle right and educate visitors if they are doing the wrong thing.” There is a free, 24-hour community sharps disposal unit located at the Nimbin Hospital and a sharps receptacle within the public toilets near the Nimbin Community Centre. For more information on what can and cannot be recycled, visit northernriverswaste.au.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 01:03:46 +0000