The town of Lismore is celebrating after recycling 64 per cent, or almost two thirds, of their household waste. Kevin Trustum, the City Council’s waste operations coordinator, said that 64 per cent works out to be over 25,000 tonnes of waste that has been saved in the last year. He also mentioned that the town’s rate of recycling has improved by 10 per cent from the previous financial year. “The increase in recycling rates results from a reduction in commercial waste landfilled, an increase in the use of the self-sorting section at the Resource Recovery Facility, and ongoing community education about waste management and recycling.” The main objective of Lismore City Council is to save as much waste from going to the landfill as possible, and Trustum hopes that recycling rates will exceed 68 per cent by 2014. Tougher environmental controls, lifestyle changes like household recycling and using cotton shopping bags, licence conditions, and the new landfill levy are just some of the initiatives that are making this happen. By keeping the tonnage of waste in the landfill low, the city can also avoid having to pay the carbon tax on waste.
Source:
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/08/29/lismore-recycles-64-waste/