Solid Waste Management: Services and Functions

 

Kerbside Collection of Waste The urban residents of the Mackenzie receive a weekly kerbside pick-up of pre-paid bags.

There are three types of bag:

• green for compostable waste (kitchen scraps, food waste, light garden clippings, cold ash, bones, meat, fat, damp newspaper, cat litter, etc)
• clear for recyclables (newspaper, magazines, office paper, steel cans, aluminium cans, glass, clothing, # 1 plastic containers, # 2 food-grade plastic containers, # 2 janitorial grade plastic containers, expanded polystyrene, other mixed rigid plastics and mixed soft plastics)
• black for residual waste (i.e. mixed rubbish) Up to 0.1 m of flattened bundled cardboard may also be put out for collection without being contained in a bag.

Collection begins at 8-00 am on Monday mornings, or if a public holiday, the next working day.

Householders may put out as many bags as they like.

Non-compliant waste (e.g. waste in unofficial bags, waste in other containers, rubbish in recycling bags, compostable waste contaminated with rubbish or dirty recyclables) is not picked up. Such waste is ticketed with a bright pink sticker on which a tick box will have been marked to show why collection was denied.

The kerbside collection is for residential properties only.

 

Resource Recovery Park Acceptance of Waste: Residents or commercial customers may choose to deliver their waste directly to a RRP in lieu of, or in addition to, the kerbside collection. Any amount of waste too big for the kerbside bags needs to be delivered in this way. Waste volume and type is assessed upon entry and the appropriate fee charged. The greater the separation according to waste type, the greater the recyclability and the lower the fee.

 

Sales of compost: The district's organic waste is turned into high-grade compost which may be purchased from any of the RRPs or Fairlie House & Garden.

 

Acquisition of second-hand material: Members of the public are welcome to browse through the materials set aside for re-use and take what they want for an appropriate donation. Items acquired in this way are supplied as is, without warranty and at the acquirees risk. Examples of such items are furniture, spare parts canabilised from scrapped whiteware, wood, books, iron profiles, metal fixtures, household utensils, etc.

Mackenzie District Council 2006