“It was amazing to learn that so many residents weren’t aware that coffee cups and plastic lined cups are actually not recyclable. We left residents with information packs and they were very eager to spread the word to family and friends.” Education Officer Asanki Fernando
“It was amazing to learn that so many residents weren’t aware that coffee cups and plastic lined cups are actually not recyclable. We left residents with information packs and they were very eager to spread the word to family and friends.” Education Officer Asanki Fernando
For National Recycling Week, Cleanaway Lavington Material Recovery Facility (MRF) opened its doors to over 30 eager residents who saw first-hand how recycling is separated and sorted at the facility.
Pictured: Participants getting a close up look of the sorting line
In four separate tours held from 11 to 14 November, participants also learnt how to reduce contamination in the recycling bin and how to work with the waste hierarchy to reduce and reuse waste before considering recovery options.
Pictured: Participants from the tour with Education Officer, Asanki Fernando on the far left
Education Officer Asanki Fernando was encouraged by the engagement displayed by those who attended the tour. “It was amazing to learn that so many residents weren’t aware that coffee cups and plastic lined cups are actually not recyclable. We left residents with information packs and they were very eager to spread the word to family and friends. They were also very happy to know that their efforts aren’t going to waste.” said Asanki.
The local newspaper also joined the tour and promoted the event with an article encouraging residents to recycle better.
Another highlight of the week was when breakfast show hosts Tim and Jess from the local radio station Hit 104.9 FM interviewed Branch Manager David Collins at the MRF. David cleared up common misconceptions about recycling such as “All recycling goes to landfill” and explained how recycled glass is being used as road base in Albury as an example of a domestic circular economy.
Watch the video of the interview here.
Pictured: Cleanaway Albury/Wodonga Branch Manager David Collins with Tim and Jess from Hit 104.9
Thanks to the incredible response, the team are running two school tours in the coming weeks with more being planned for the school holidays.
Contact us to learn more about how we make a sustainable future possible through our work with communities across Australia.