Redland City Council is hoping to collect three tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) for recycling during an annual collection drive for the island communities in February 2021.

Mayor Karen Williams said e-waste was one of the fastest growing types of waste worldwide and most could be recycled.

“Australians generate about 73kg of e-waste per household each year and it’s estimated that, nationally, more than 80 per cent is sent to landfill,” she said.

“Our mainland recycling and waste centres offer a full-time collection service where e-waste is recycled, and now this special collection will give our island residents the opportunity to thoughtfully dispose of unwanted e-waste items in their homes.”

Cr Williams said e-waste contained valuable materials such as glass, copper, plastics and precious metals.

“These materials are able to be processed and eventually used in the manufacture of new products, which supports not only Council’s commitment to a circular economy but the State Government’s goal of a zero waste to landfill future.”

Cr Williams said Council ran a similar collection on the islands in February last year and it proved to be a very popular initiative, with residents dropping off more than two tonnes of e-waste.

“We are hoping to increase that amount to three tonnes this year,” she said.

“As an incentive, we are also offering 100 free native plants in exchange for e-waste on the weekend of 13 and 14 February.”

Island residents can deliver their e-waste to the recycling and waste centres on Coochiemudlo, Macleay, Russell and North Stradbroke (Minjerribah) islands from Sunday 7 to Monday 22 February 2021 during normal opening hours.

Electronic waste includes:

• Televisions and sound systems
• Computer equipment and printers
• Mobile phones
• Power drills, fans and vacuums
• Small kitchen and bathroom appliances

Large whitegoods, such as refrigerators and washing machines, can be delivered to recycling and waste centres as scrap metal at any time during normal opening hours.

Island businesses can deliver household equivalent amounts of e-waste at no charge and are urged to contact Council on 3829 8999 (8am-5pm, Monday to Friday) for advice if they have larger amounts to dispose of.

On the weekend of 13-14 February, the first 25 residents at each of the four island recycling and waste centres can swap their e-waste for a free native plant, courtesy of Redlands IndigiScapes Centre.

There is a limit of one tree per household.

Island recycling and waste centres locations:

• Coochiemudlo Island, Elizabeth Street: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-12pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am-2pm
• Macleay Island, Eastern Road: Monday-Friday 8am-2pm. Saturday and Sunday 8am-4pm
• Russell Island, Davidson Road: Monday-Friday 8am-2pm. Saturday and Sunday 8am-4pm
• North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), Dickson Way: Monday-Friday 8am-2pm. Saturday and Sunday 7.30am-3pm

Redlands Coast residents are encouraged to examine their recycling habits during National Recycling Week (9 to 15 November) and take advantage of a new station to dispose of unusual household items.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said she was excited to launch the revamped IndigiScapes Recycling Station at Capalaba.

“This station was developed to help people recycle items that are unable to be recycled through either kerbside recycling collections, at our recycling and waste centres or at other community drop-off points,” she said.

“Council currently recycles around 45 per cent of its waste however we still have a long way to go to get to a zero waste to landfill vision set for Queensland.

“This station supports both IndigiScape’s sustainability messages and Council’s Green Living theme within the Corporate Plan, and will help residents to reach the goal of 95 per cent of resources recovered by 2050.

“Council always encourages people to reduce, reuse and then recycle, so this station helps to support that message and to help keep Redlands Coast naturally wonderful.”

Items suitable for drop off at the IndigiScapes Recycling Station include mobile phones and chargers, art supplies, x-rays, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, empty beauty product packaging, toothbrushes and empty toothpaste tubes, thongs and L.O.L surprise toys.

Cr Williams also encouraged residents to use National Recycling Week as an opportunity to consider their daily recycling habits.

“Recycling contamination rates are on the rise, and are at 11 per cent for the 2019/2020 year,” she said.

“A 2019 audit of recycling bins on Redlands Coast revealed they are showing high rates of contamination for plastics, mostly soft plastics and bagged plastic, and food scraps.”

Items which should be placed in the red-lid bin, not the yellow-lid bin include soft plastics (bread bags, cereal box liners, pasta packets, chip packets, frozen veggie packets, biscuit packets) and bubble wrap, hard plastic toys and drink bottles, nappies, polystyrene and food scraps.

“Other ways you can reduce your waste and recycle right are to ensure you don’t put recycling in your red-lid bin, get a larger recycling bin if you need it, and get a green waste bin.”

Council will also launch a 12-month trial of the ASPIRE online trading platform, through which Redlands Coast businesses will be able to source and dispose of unwanted items that would normally go to landfill.

Cr Williams said Redland City Council – along with Gold Coast and Logan councils – would participate in the CCIQ ecoBiz ASPIRE Pilot so businesses could access the online marketplace to trade waste and defray waste disposal costs.

“The ASPIRE platform has the potential to deliver environmental and economic benefits for the region,” she said.

“What is no longer useful to one organisation can become a cost-effective manufacturing input – or salvaging opportunity – for another, so this is a great initiative.”

The CCIQ ecoBiz ASPIRE Pilot will be officially launched at the 2020 Redlands Coast Business and Jobs Expo at Alexandra Hills on Thursday 19 November.

For more information about recycling on Redlands Coast visit redland.qld.gov.au/recycling

For more information about the ASPIRE Pilot, visit aspiresme.com

A community-based food organics recycling scheme will be trialled on Karragarra Island.

The research project is a collaboration between Redland City Council, The University of Queensland’s Centre for Recycling of Organic Waste and Nutrients (CROWN) and three island-based community groups.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Council and the island communities were interested in developing practical and economical ways to manage and use organic garden and food residues.

“Garden and food organics account for about half of domestic waste collected from kerbside waste bins by Council each year,” she said.

“In a move to divert some of this waste from landfill, Council currently offers island residents and businesses the option of taking garden organics and vegetation residues to the recycling and waste centres.

“Last year about 7321 tonnes of organic material was collected from Redlands Coast islands, including about 235 tonnes from Karragarra, and was shipped to the mainland for composting and other uses, at considerable cost to Council.”

Division 5 Councillor Mark Edwards said Council was aiming for the islands to become circular economies, with more waste retained for beneficial use on the islands, and the organics trial was a good example of what was achievable.

“Participating residents will take their garden waste to Karragarra Community Garden, where it will be composted and used to grow fruit and vegetables,” he said.

“Running Wild Youth Conservation Culture and Southern Moreton Bay Islands Permaculture are also involved in the research project.

“We hope to deliver a model for a successful community-based recycling scheme for garden and food waste which can be transferred and adapted for other Moreton Bay islands and community groups further afield.”

CROWN Director Johannes Biala said the trial was a fantastic opportunity to assess the extent to which a community-based organics recycling scheme could reduce landfilling of organic waste, and instead compost and use it on the island.

“There is often some apprehension about composting food waste, but we will develop and test a small-scale, solar-powered, forced aeration composting system that is adequate and inexpensive for processing food residues in community-based organics recycling schemes,” Mr Biala said.

“What makes this project very different from many others is the incredible enthusiasm and support from council and the community groups for what we have set out to do.

“This gives great hopes that the Karragarra Island community organics recycling scheme will continue to thrive and be a model for other communities long after the project has been completed.”

Residents are being surveyed about what they currently do with their garden and food waste, and their preferences regarding the operation of a future community food waste capture and composting scheme.

The composting system is expected to be built and operational by March 2021 and the project will end in July 2021.

The project is funded through a Goodman Foundation Moreton Bay (Quandamooka) Research Grant.

Redlands Coast residents are encouraged to make their neighbours green with envy and help reduce waste to landfill through the use of a green waste bin.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Council offered a number of kerbside bin options to help residents best manage their household waste across their general, recycling and green waste.

“We live in such a naturally wonderful place and I know it’s in our nature to want to rethink our waste and the impact it has on our community,” she said.

“Green waste bins are an ideal way to save you time and money and ensure garden waste can be recycled rather than ending up in landfill.

“Up to 30 per cent of general household waste can be diverted from landfill by residents using a green waste bin.

“Council is urging residents to consider ordering a green waste bin and rethink the way they dispose of their waste.”

Cr Williams said there was no set-up fee to obtain a green waste bin, which is available to mainland residents only at this time, and no set-up fee to swap or exchange existing bins when ordering a green waste bin at the same time.

“The use of green bins will allow Council to turn valuable green waste into organic garden products such as soil enhancers and mulch,” Cr Williams said.

“Having the extra green waste bin will also save residents trips to our recycling and waste centres, and will provide a safe way to reduce the risk of fire and storm damage posed by overgrown gardens.

“The green waste bin is collected fortnightly on the alternative week to the recycling bin.”

Cr Williams said correct disposal of waste through green waste bins would also help reduce Council’s costs in managing waste services to the city.

Residents can mix and match their bin sizes to suit their individual household needs, with bins available for waste (140L and 240L), recycling (140L, 240L and 340L) and green (240L, mainland only). Different annual fees apply.

To order a green waste bin for as little as approximately $1.20 per week or to change a bin size, contact Council on 3829 8999 or order online at redland.qld.gov.au/waste.

Redlands Coast island residents and commercial customers are now permitted to dispose of asbestos-containing materials, fibro and cement sheeting materials at their local recycling and waste centres.

Mayor Karen Williams said Redland City Council would now permit asbestos-containing materials, fibro and cement sheeting disposal at the recycling and waste centres on Russell, Macleay, Coochiemudlo and North Stradbroke islands.

The material was previously only accepted at mainland recycling and waste centres.

“Asbestos-containing materials, fibro and cement sheeting must be handled properly and disposed of at a licenced facility,” Cr Williams said.

“Accepting these materials at our island recycling and waste centres will make it far more convenient for residents, particularly if they are doing repairs on their homes.”

Cr Williams said the facilities would accept actual or suspected asbestos-containing materials, fibro and cement sheeting up to 10m² or less than 250kg.

Residential disposal of this amount was free with proof of residency and photo identification. Commercial and non-residential loads would attract a fee. Fees would apply if the material was generated or transported by a commercial builder or contractor. Fees for the disposal of asbestos-containing materials, fibro or cement sheeting can be found on Council’s website.

“Before you visit a Council recycling and waste centre, please ensure you follow the conditions of disposal,” Cr Williams said.

“The materials should be double wrapped in thick (minimum 0.2mm) plastic sheeting, securely sealed with duct tape and unloaded by hand into the designated asbestos disposal bin.”

Cr Williams said that it was a legislative requirement that customers declared these materials at the gatehouse upon entering the recycling and waste centre.

“Council staff will inspect loads upon arrival and customers with actual or suspected asbestos-containing materials, fibro and cement sheeting that isn’t wrapped appropriately will be instructed to leave the centre and return once the material is properly wrapped for disposal,” Cr Williams said.

Cr Mark Edwards (Division 5) said the decision to accept asbestos would be welcomed by the island communities.

“This review means it is now far more convenient for our island residents to safely dispose of these hazardous materials at their local island recycling and waste centres,” Cr Edwards said.

Cr Edwards said that Council treated all renovation materials with caution as they may contain harmful respirable fibres such as asbestos or silica.

“Asbestos was once used in Australia in fibre-cement building products such as sheeting, water drainage, roofing and guttering, and it is still found in buildings constructed up to the 1990s,” Cr Edwards said.

“Other types of materials that Council treats in the same manner as asbestos-containing waste include fibro, Villaboard, Millboard, super six roof sheeting, cement sheeting, HardieFlex, insulation board and backing boards on vinyl sheet flooring and tiles.

“So any resident doing work on their property should be on the lookout for this material. By taking the time and securely wrapping any original board from the home, residents can be assured they have made the right choice to protect their own health and that of the recycling and waste centre workers.”

Asbestos materials in good condition are unlikely to be a health risk if left undisturbed.

They become a health risk when asbestos fibres are released into the air and breathed in.

Identification, risks and safe-handling advice can be found online in the ‘Asbestos – a guide for householders and general public’ at health.gov.au