Thinking about a shed clean-up? Don’t know what to do with those tins of old paint, oil or that old gas bottle? Did you know these types of items can be sustainably recycled at the local Community Recycling Centre?
The Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) are permanent drop-off centres for common household problem waste that can’t be collected via council kerbside waste and recycling collection services. Householders can drop off problem waste at these centres year-round, free of charge.
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC) operates two CRCs along with mini-CRC booths in Councils administration offices for smaller items such as fluorescent tubes and globes, small batteries, mobile phones and accessories and smoke detectors.
The CRCs are located at the waste facility sites in Cootamundra and Gundagai and are the solution for disposing of household items such as paint, lead acid batteries, gas bottles and oils.
Paints are mixed with other waste solvents and used as an alternative to fuel in cement kilns. The metal containers are recycled. Lead acid batteries are sent to recyclers where the lead, acid and plastic are recovered and recycled. Fluorescent tubes and globes contain mercury. Recyclers crush the tubes to separate the phosphor powder from the glass. They feed the powder through receiving containers, where it is filtered to capture fugitive mercury emissions. The mercury is then separated by distillation and sold for a range of industrial uses. The metals are also recycled. Gas bottles have residual gas captured for reuse. Undamaged bottles are retested, restamped and entered into the hire industry. Damaged bottles are punctured and recycled as scrap metal. Used oils are processed to become a lubricant or used for waste to energy.
Most of the items accepted at Community Recycling Centres can be reused or recycled. Sorting waste and taking it to a recycling centre
- helps improve recycling rates
- saves water, energy and other valuable natural resources
Picture and caption:
The CRC centre at Cootamundra is the solution for disposal of items that should not be sent to landfill.
The CRC booth located in the administration offices in Cootamundra and Gundagai are available for residents to dispose of batteries, fluoro light bulbs, mobile phones and smoke detectors.
