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Big increase in recycling
Date of Issue: 
April 3, 2022

East Gippsland residents have taken their recycling efforts to new levels, with East Gippsland Shire Council seeing a large increase in recyclables at its waste sites.

Fees were put in place when there was a nation-wide lack of market for recyclable materials. The fees were removed in July 2021.

Since then, Council has seen a 60 per cent increase in the volume of recyclables being dropped off at its waste sites.

Mayor Cr Mark Reeves said the fees were removed to encourage residents to recycle more.

“Recycling contributes to the circular economy, where these products are broken down and used as raw materials for things like outdoor seating and food packaging,” Cr Reeves said.

“We are also very pleased to see that the level of contamination in recyclables has not really increased. When people put the wrong items in the recycling bin it contaminates the system and can undo everyone’s efforts.”

Residents who have a kerbside collection and have recyclables that don’t fit in their yellow-lidded bin are reminded to take their items to a transfer station.

It is also free to recycle electronic waste, but it cannot go in kerbside collection.

Residents should take anything with a cord or batteries to a waste site that accepts those items. Our A-Z of Waste page has a comprehensive list explaining how (and where) to properly dispose of a variety of household items.

The first step in the recycling process is to move items onto a conveyor belt at the Materials Recovery Facility in Bairnsdale.

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