Recycling Initiatives

What is Cartridges 4 Planet Ark

‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ is an innovative recycling program that provides Australians with a free, easy and environmentally-accredited way to recycle their used printer cartridges.

As cartridges are made up of a complex mix of plastics, metal, inks and toners they represent a significant investment in resources.  When they are disposed of into landfill these resources are lost.

That’s why Planet Ark joined with Close the Loop and the participating manufacturers to set up the innovative ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ program. This program collects and returns cartridges for remanufacturing and recycling – therefore keeping them out of landfill.

Recycling Cartridges

• All inkjet cartridges, toner cartridges and toner bottles from participating brands can be placed in the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark box
• Cartridges can be deposited at your nearest participating outlet – North Burnett Regional Council Customer Service Centres / Libraries with the special Cartridges 4 Planet Ark boxes.
• All of the printer cartridges collected will be returned to Close the Loop® where they will be sorted and processed.

For more information, refer to the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark website.

What is the ChemClear Program?

The ChemClear^® program is a widely recognised program that manages the risks associated with unwanted agvet chemicals. The program provides an effective, safe and convenient pathway for users to dispose of obsolete agvet chemicals in accordance with the regulatory requirements of their relevant State or Territory.

The ChemClear program is well established across Australia and is an excellent example of industry self-regulation through extended producer responsibility and product stewardship.  The program has successfully collected and destructed in excess of 460 tonne since its commencement in 2005.

Eligible Chemicals

Chemicals eligible for collection for FREE under the program will display the drumMUSTER/ChemClear eligible logo on the chemical container.  Eligible chemicals are referred to as Group 1 under the program.

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The eligible logo may be displayed as:

• a sticker on the container;
• included on the product label, or
• embossed into the containers wall.

If the chemical container does not display an eligible logo, it may be because the manufacturer is not participating in the program.  This means that any surplus chemicals are not eligible for FREE collection under ChemClear.

Unknown, unlabelled and non-participating manufacturers’ products fall into ChemClear’s Group 2 classification.  These chemicals can still be collected by ChemClear but attract a per lt/kg fee for disposal.

Group 1 Chemicals are collected FREE of charge.  These chemicals are:

• in their original container
• label intact and readable
• manufactured or supplied by companies participating in the AgStewardship programs
• registered, suspended or withdrawn chemicals whose registration has ceased within the past two years
• within two years of the chemicals expiration date
• not held by distributors or agvet stores as unwanted inventory.

 Group 2 Chemicals are those chemicals that are:

• no longer registered for use (exceeding 2 years from de-registration)
• unknown
• unlabelled
• expired (exceeding 2 years from expiration date)
• mixed agvet chemicals
• chemicals from non-participating  manufacturers.

Cost – Group 2

A per lt/kg fee applies for disposal of Group 2 chemicals. A quotation is provided to the waste holder for their consideration prior to a collection being scheduled for pickup of these items.

When is the next collection scheduled?

Collections are scheduled based on the volume of chemical registrations received by region and state across Australia. On average ChemClear undertakes 2-3 state collections and several local regional collections annually.

If your disposal requirements are urgent please contact ChemClear on 1800 008 182 and their team will be able to advise of any options available to you.

How do I book in for a collection?

All persons wishing to dispose of obsolete agvet chemicals through the ChemClear Program must register with ChemClear.

To register for the program, either:

• Free call 1800 008 182
• Complete registration online
• Access and complete the ChemClear Inventory Form  available from

http://chemclear.com.au/register-your-chemical/ and either fax it to (03) 9369 4380 or Mail to ChemClear GPO Box 816 Canberra City

DrumMUSTER ‘rinse them out, round them up and run them in’

DrumMUSTER is a national collection and recycling scheme for empty and cleaned crop protection and animal health chemical containers. Both plastic and steel agricultural containers are accepted.

The drumMUSTER scheme is funded by a levy on crop protection and animal health products sold in rigid steel and plastic non-returnable chemical containers. Chemical users pay the levy at purchase. The levy pays for participating local councils, such as North Burnett Regional Council, to establish collection centres at little cost. Clean containers collected by drumMUSTER will be returned to manufacturers for refilling, or to be shredded or crushed for recycling.

All drums brought in for collection and recycling must be cleaned correctly both inside and out, including caps and threads, and allowed to drain or air dry to ensure they contain no rinse water. Dye stained containers will be accepted. Unclean or partly filled containers will not be accepted and will remain the property of the chemical user.

All farmers within the North Burnett Region are encouraged to bring their empty, properly cleaned non-returnable chemical containers to their local drumMUSTER collection centre.

Please note an appointment is required. Collection centres are located at:

MobileMuster is the Australian mobile phone industry’s official product stewardship program. It’s a free mobile phone recycling program that accepts all brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories. Basically, it’s the industry’s way of ensuring mobile phone products don’t end up in landfill – but instead are recycled in a safe, secure and ethical way.

So why is this important? Over 90% of the materials used in a mobile are recyclable and can be reused, avoiding future greenhouse gas emissions, saving energy, protecting our environment and conserving scarce natural resources.

Mobile phone components should also never be thrown in the rubbish, where they can end up in landfill. For one thing they’re not biodegradable, so they won’t break down. On top of that, mobiles contain some substances that can potentially harm the environment if not disposed of correctly.

At MobileMuster, we aim to make sure mobiles are handled properly at the end of their useful lives. Our mission is simple. We promise to keep mobile phones out of landfill. All we are asking you to do is to promise to recycle them.

How to recycle

MobileMuster works with partners like mobile phone retailers, local councils and Australia Post to collect phones from the general public.

Residents are encouraged to recycle their old phones, batteries, chargers and accessories by:

• Dropping off your mobile phone at any Council Customer Service Centre in the designated receptacle provided
• Finding another drop-off point in your area
• Posting your mobile phones, batteries, chargers and accessories to MobileMuster. This can be posted for FREE by downloading and printing the reply-paid label and affixing to your package prior to posting http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/recycle-a-mobile/post-them-in/

Each and every mobile we receive is dismantled and recycled, and any data left on the handset is destroyed through the recycling process.

What to recycle

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North Burnett Regional Council encourages residents to keep our environment clean by using a re-usable coffee cup. Single-use coffee cups are costly to our environment.

WHY IS IT AN ISSUE AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT!

Due to the nasty plastic lining hiding in takeaway cups, it is very challenging for waste management streams to recycle cups. Unlike a Tetra-Pac for example, in order to hold a hot drink for a period of time, the plastic is too thick to be sent to paper recycling streams. The current streams of kerbside and public waste management cannot effectively separate the two materials so the cups get sent to landfill. Customers dispose of their ‘paper cup’ in their paper recycling with best intentions but this in fact contaminates the collection which can result in the whole bin getting sent to landfill.

It is estimated that Australian’s use a massive 1 billion takeaway cups and lids every year. All of these cups and lids are sent straight to landfill, taking up to 50 years to breakdown. Therefore, responsible cafes was founded in 2013 as an initiative of the award-winning not-for-profit Responsible Runners. The initiative started by the group identifying and tackling the issue of litter in water ways and neighbourhoods. Then, growing to include a program focused on engaging cafes to improve sustainability. For further information refer to https://responsiblecafes.org/

Responsible Cafes is building a culture of reuse by connecting cafes and coffee lovers based on a simple idea: BYO cup and get a discount. Cafes offer customers with BYO cups a small discount (usually 30-50c, some up to $1 off), creating loyalty among anyone keen to save a cup or a buck, while coffee lovers get their fix for less. Every cafe gets listed on a national map so if you have your cup ready but don’t know where to take it, find your nearest participating café.

FACTS ABOUT SINGLE-USE COFFEE CUPS

1. Coffee cups are estimated to be the second-largest contributor to litter waste after plastic bottles.
2. It is estimated Australians use 1 billion disposable coffee cups each year.
3. Most disposable cups are lined with polyethylene which makes them non-recyclable.
4. Compostable and biodegradable paper cups cannot be put into household compost.
5. Minutes in your hand, up to 50 years in landfill.

Further information can be found at http://about.abc.net.au/war-on-waste-fixing-your-coffee-fix/