Supportive Services Initiatives & Programs

Programs & Initiatives

Kerbside Collection - Green Waste

The Big Green Shed

More Recycling bins for Swan Hill

Recycle Annie wants you to Recycle Right Away from Home!

Plasback

Get it Sorted

Blinky Bulb Campaign

Introducing Recycle Annie's little brother “Rubbish Ronnie!”

Detox Your Home

ChemClear®

Services and Facilities at the Swan Hill Landfill

Reuse Sales Centre

drumMUSTER

Waste Oil Collection Facilities

Programs & Initiatives…..

Accepting and re-selling preloved goods is the aim of The Big Green Shed located at the Swan Hill Landfill. The ‘new look' Big Green Shed has been upgraded through a grant from Sustainability Victoria's Towards Zero Waste program and Swan Hill Rural City Council in partnership with Ellwaste and the Central Murray Regional Waste Management Group are excited to officially open the facility to the community. The project aims to encourage everyone to consider waste not as something we simply throw out, but as a resource that can have many uses we may not have normally considered. The Big Green Shed is a fantastic place to drop off those unwanted items from around your home. And you never know what you might find if you're looking for secondhand building materials or that unique piece of furniture.

Located at the Swan Hill Landfill (Swan Hill-Sea Lake Rd), The Big Green Shed has been operating since 2008 with the aim of diverting items originally destined for landfill to a facility where they can be resold for a bargain price. The Big Green Shed will accept a wide variety of materials in reasonable condition including:

The Big Green Shee is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.00am until 3.00pm and on Sundays from 10.00am until 2.00pm.  So make sure you visit The Big Green Shed next time you've got a load of unwanted items to drop off or if you're working on a DYI project. You'll be amazed at what you'll find!

More Recycling bins for Swan Hill

Congratulations and thank you to the Swan Hill community on using the recycle bins in the Pioneer Settlement, Riverside Park and CBD over the past 2 years! Due to this great response to recycling away from home and saving recyclables from the landfill, the Swan Hill Rural City Council has installed a further 15 new public place recycling bins (pictured right). 

These flash bins have both a general rubbish bin and a recycle bin, which are clearly signed to help everyone to recycle right. You can recycle aluminum and steel cans, bottles and milk cartons in the recycle bins.  The new bins are a part of Swan Hill Rural City Council's commitment to recycling and reducing waste as well as keeping the CBD litter free.

The Swan Hill Rural City Council and the Central Murray Regional Waste Management Group are working in partnership with this Towards Zero Waste grant from Sustainability Victoria to promote the improvements to public place recycling in Swan Hill. 

As well as diverting waste away from the landfill, public place recycling around Swan Hill is a part of Council aim to reach the Towards Zero Waste targets that are established in the Swan Hill Rural City Council Waste Management Strategy.

Recycle Annie wants you to Recycle Right Away from Home!

One of the significant problems we continue to face with all of our recycling bins is contamination and the extention of recycling into our streets and parks is a great time for everyone to remember to recycle right!

Visitors and residents of Swan Hill must not place the wrong items into recycling bins. Plastic bags, plastic wrap, polystyrene cups and food leftovers are NOT recyclable and should definitely NOT be placed into recycling bins.

Remember to Recycle Right and the staff at the Material Recovery Facilities who hand sort through the loads will gladly ensure that your items are recycled into brand new products.

It is estimated that over 8,000 tonnes of fodder conservation plastics are used in Australia each year, which includes silage wrap, bale net, baling twine, silage covers and grain storage tubes.

The disposal of these plastics has long been a problem, with farmers burying or burning it, otherwise it is sent to landfill where councils have been stockpiling it for several years.

It is illegal to burn plastic and is wasting a scarce resource by burning it or putting it into landfill.

Now there is a solution!
Buloke, Gannawarra, Loddon and Swan Hill Shires are participating in a new collection system called Plasback which is replacing the current silage wrap collection program and provides a long term, low cost solution for farmers and councils.

Plasback features a specific liner system that ensures a clean and segregated waste stream.

The liners are clear so that any foreign matter and contamination can be easily detected.  By using separate liners, the recycling of silage wrap is able to occur in Australia instead of sending it to China to be processed.

Plasback bins and liners are widely available for various rural merchandise stores across the Central Murray Region.  Farmers that purchase Tapex products have access to free bins and liners.

Silage Wrap will be collected for free at the following sites during operating hours:

• Buloke: Charlton, Donald, Birchip,
• Gannawarra: Cohuna, Kerang,
• Loddon: Boort , Dingee, Inglewood, Newbridge, Pyramid Hill, Wedderburn,
• Swan Hill: Swan Hill Landfill

Once the silage wrap has been collected and processed, it is made into products such as posts and decking.  The Plasback bins are made from the Silage Wrap product and are an excellent example of the recycled products versatility.

The Silage Wrap recycling process uses less than 30% of the energy required to create new plastics from hydro carbons.

It's Easy - Shake, Roll and Rattle!

• Remember that you need to ensure no contamination is included in the liners, so give it a good shake.
• Roll the film into a tight ball and push into the liner.
• Then it's a matter of rattling into town to drop it off at your nearest participating transfer station of land fill.

For more information about Plasback, check out www.plasback.com.au or Central Murray Regional Waste Management Group www.cmrwmg.com.au

Get It Sorted!

Getting the most out of your Resource Recovery Centre

Get It Sorted is a state wide campaign that aims to help communities use their local resource recovery centre to its full capacity.

Resource recovery centres are often referred as transfer stations or in many cases ‘tips'.  These facilities provided in over 270 communities across Victoria and have been designed to help reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill and recycle as much as we possibly can.

Unlike landfills, resource recovery centres can accept a wide variety of recyclable materials and you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the drop off services that are available for recyclable material.

In the Central Murray Region there are 26 resource recovery centres. These Centres were established after the Council decided to close the existing landfill and to ensure that the community still had access to a waste and recycling disposal facility.

You can recycle a wide range of materials at the resource recovery centres in the Region and in many cases you can drop some of these items off for free!

Click here for more information on sorting your load and what items are recyclable at local facilities.

So now you know all you need to know about your local resource recovery centre. Remember, unsorted loads cop the maximum fee, so GET IT SORTED! 

The Get It Sorted campaign is an initiative of the Association of Victorian Regional Waste Management Groups, supported by the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund.

www.blinkybulb.com.au

Blinky Bulb is a new recycling program for compact fluorescent tubes and globes. Fluorescent tubes (conventional and compact) contain mercury, a valuable but very toxic heavy metal. Mercury is the most toxic pollutant, after radioactive substances, on the Environment Protection Authority's list of industrial pollutants.

To keep mercury out of our environment, we are pleased to offer a new recycling program for your tubes and globes. Please make sure that you deliver your tubes and globes to the drop off points intact (do not take broken tubes or globes to collection points).

Collection points around the Central Murray Region include:

Buloke Shire

Loddon Shire

Gannawarra Shire

Swan Hill Rural City

For more details and opening times please head to www.blinkybulb.com.au

Introducing Recycle Annie's little brother “Rubbish Ronnie!”

Our recycling mascot Recycle Annie is back in a new campaign with her little brother ready to remind you “Don't Be A Ronnie” – non-recyclable items go in the rubbish bin!

Annie & Ronnie encourage you to put the right things into your recycling bin and your rubbish bin. Over 20% of your household rubbish bin contains recyclable items, so make sure you get the right items into the right bin.  

Always put your recyclables in the bin loose (not in plastic bags) and rinse them out in your dirty dishwater to save water.

What Goes in Your Recycle Bin?

• Aluminium and steel cans, clean foil and foil trays, empty aerosol cans
• Glass jars and bottles (and their lids)
• All clean paper including newspapers, envelopes (even those with plastic windows), magazines, brochures, booklets, phone books, plain office paper
• Clean flattened cardboard (all sizes)
• Milk and juice cartons
• Plastic containers (codes 1-7) including milk, juice, soft drink, cordial and detergent bottles, ice cream, yogurt, margarine, clear takeaway food containers and lids

What Goes In Your Rubbish Bin?

• Plastic bags (all types), plastic wrappers, cling wrap and bubble wrap
• Polystyrene
• Soiled cardboard and waxed cardboard
• Crockery, glassware, incandescent light globes, window glass
• Nappies
• Food waste (please compost your fruit and veggie scraps)

What about other items?

We have recycling systems for a range of other items at our landfills and transfer stations and through specialised recycling collection programs.

Please don't put these items in your kerbside recycling bin.

• DETOX YOUR HOME ~ Chemical containers, light globes, pharmaceuticals, paint tins, gas cylinders. Look out for information on Detox Collections on our website on in local newspapers
• E-RECYCLING PROGRAM ~ you can take all your electrical applicances to our landfills or transfer stations
• GARDEN WASTE ~ you can take your green waste to our landfills or transfer stations for disposal
• SCRAP METAL ~ engine parts, motors, scrap metal can be take to our landfills and transfer stations for recycling
• SILAGE WRAP ~ silage wrap, vine wrap and bunker wrap can be taken to our landfills and transfer stations for recycling (it must be clean and packed in wool bales)
• OIL RECYCLING ~ used motor oil can be recycled for free at our landfills and transfer stations
• COMPACT FLUORESCENT GLOBES & TUBES ~ use the Blinky Bulb program at landfills and transfer stations to recycle your CFL globes and tubes
• BATTERIES ~ drop your used car batteries to landfills and transfer stations. You can recycle your alkaline batteries at your nearest Battery World store
• TOYS & CLOTHES ~ items in good condition can be dropped off at your local opportunity shop  

For more information head to www.cmrwmg.com.au

Detox Your Home

Swan Hill Rural City Council residents are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to rid their homes of unwanted household chemicals for free.

Organised by the Swan Hill Rural City Council in partnership with Sustainability Victoria, the Detox Your Home program helps residents dispose of their old and unwanted chemicals in an environmentally responsible way.

Among the types of unwanted household chemicals accepted for disposal are:

• Household chemicals such as aerosol cans, insect sprays, pest poisons, household cleaners, pharmaceuticals and mothballs.
• Garden chemicals such as fertilisers, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides.
• Automotive chemicals such as transmission fluids, batteries and battery acid, brake fluid, car wax solvent and fuels (such as petrol, diesel, kerosene).
• Workshop chemicals including paint strippers, solvent-based glues, water and oil-based paints, paint thinner, acetone, turpentine, varnish and wood preservative.
• Other miscellaneous chemicals accepted are acids and alkalis, artists' paints and supplies, photographic chemicals, fibreglass resins (not mixed), extinguishers, gas cylinders, swimming pool chemicals and mercury batteries.

Items that cannot be accepted include:

• chemicals used by businesses commercial and industrial purposes
• motor oil (for information about local oil disposal points contact Swan Hill Rural City Council) 
• containers over 20 litres or 20 kilograms or empty chemical containers
• farm chemicals
• waste asbestos, ammunition and flares

Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Cr Greg Cruickshank said household chemicals can be dangerous if they are not stored or disposed of safely.

"Storing old chemicals in the shed or under the sink increases the risk of poisoning around the home."

"Sending chemicals to landfill or even pouring small amounts down storm water drains can pollute creeks and rivers, harming plants and animals," she said.

The following safety measures should be taken when transporting chemicals to the Depot:

• Ensure lids are tightly fitted.
• Place liquids on a tray or in a plastic bucket so any spills are contained
• Pack powders and solids securely.
• Keep corrosive chemicals, such as battery acid, away from poisons.
• Keep oxidising agents, such as peroxide, away from all other materials.
• Travel with your car windows down if carrying flammable or odorous materials.
• Double-wrap old liquid containers in plastic bags to prevent leaking.

Detox Your Home collections are held all year throughout Victoria. For a list of drop-off locations and times, contact Council's Waste Management department on 5036 2333 or visit www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au

The service is free and residents from all municipalities can use any of the collections.

Services and Facilities at the Swan Hill Landfill

ChemClear®

The objectives of the ChemClear^® program are to:

1. Minimise the generation of unwanted rural chemicals;
2. Minimise the accumulation of unwanted rural chemicals and any associated risks of impacts to the environment, public health and trade;
3. Provide for a collection and disposal service for rural chemicals;
4. Provide a management system for unwanted registered rural chemicals which is;
• Effective in achieving a high rate of participation of waste holders;
• Accessible by all users who may hold those chemicals; and
• Provided at lowest possible cost.

ChemClear^® encourages any holder of unwanted rural chemicals to register their unwanted products on our booking line.  You may visit the booking site at www.chemclear.com.au or by calling 1800 008 182 from any region of Australia.  Please ensure that you have a completed inventory of your unwanted products prior to contacting the booking line.  Include all identifying features of the chemical for disposal such as manufacturer name, product name, size of container and quantity remaining in container.

Services and Facilities at the Swan Hill Landfill

Reuse Sales Centre

Swan Hill Rural City Council have incorporated a Reuse Sales Centre at the Swan Hill Landfill. Sustainability Victoria has co-funded this project to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

If you have any old possessions that can be reused please drop them off at the landfill. Your trash could be someone else's treasure. The Reuse Sales Centre accepts items such as furniture (couches, tables, dressers etc.), bikes, sporting goods, bric-a-brac, games and toys.

The Landfill is currently only operating weekends for the sale of these items, however all unwanted items can be dropped to the Reuse Sales Centre during the week.

drumMUSTER - drumMUSTER makes it easy

Recycling your eligible farm chemical containers with drumMUSTER is easy – all you need to do is follow these simple steps:-

• Triple or Pressure rinse your containers IMMEDIATELY after use.
• Pour the rinse water back into your spay tank.
• Make sure ALL chemical residue is removed.
• REMOVE LIDS to allow your containers to DRY thoroughly.  Take lids SEPARATELY to collections.
• Metal containers should be PUNCTURED from the top through the bottom.
• DELIVER your eligible clean empty containers to your local drumMUSTER collections centre.

Some chemical containers are not allowed to be recycled through DrumMuster, please enquire for more information.

For any further information please contact the Swan Hill Rural City Council, your local landfill or drumMUSTER on www.drummuster.com.au.

Waste Oil Collection Facilities

Manangatang, Robinvale and Swan Hill Landfills now have facilities for residents to safely dispose of used motor oil. These permanent waste disposal tanks will allow for the recycling of motor oil that might otherwise cause a hazard to our river environment and wildlife.

The used motor oil is recycled into industrial burner oil, mould oil, hydraulic oil or as an additive in manufacturing bitumen based goods.

Environment Officer, Sue Mahon, said “the oil recycling facilities add to the existing recycling services across the municipality and make it easy to do the right thing by our environment”.

Oils that are accepted are;

• Hydraulic
• Gear
• Engine
• Sump

Don't be a Ronnie poster (137 KB)