Waste put to good use

Recycling just got easier with council’s new Recyclesmart app, launched in preparation for National Recycling Week from 13 to 19 November.
Available from the App Store and Google Play, it takes the guesswork out of recycling. It offers advice on what can and can’t be recycled, and explains the correct bin for different types of waste.
Deputy mayor Frank Wilkie said the app also listed nearby recycling points for items that aren’t accepted in council’s general waste and recycling bins.
A free outdoor movie night, free e-waste and battery drop off day, landfill tours, preloved clothing market, plus recycling and composting workshops are among council’s 2017 National Recycling Week activities.
“This year’s focus is on taking recycling a step further by thinking of our waste as a resource and perhaps purchasing items made from recycled materials,” Cr Wilkie said.
“Although we are recycling more than ever in Noosa, we are still sending more waste to landfill than ever before. Being a bit more discerning with our purchases, and in the way we think about waste, can make a difference,” Cr Wilkie said.
One of the workshop’s focuses on composting and if you’ve ever wondered what happens to your rubbish, take a landfill tour on 14 November, meeting at The J, Noosa Junction, at 9.30am.
Council’s Waste Education Officer Emma Menzies said residents could all help preserve the life of council’s current landfill cell.
“In March 2016 Noosa Council opened a new landfill cell. It was designed to last for the next 12 years. However, if we continue the way we are going, it will only last approximately eight years. Together, we can all help to reduce the amount of waste heading for the landfill, and that is a long-term cost saving for us all,” he said.
Come along and say hello at any of our community activities for your chance to win a raised garden bed and other environmental goodies.
Recycling Week activities include:
* Tour of the Noosa Landfill, Tuesday 14 November
* Workshop – Easy ways to grow food in small spaces and pots – 10am Wednesday, November 15 at Cooroy Library, and; 10am Friday, November 17 at Noosaville Library.
* Noosa Men’s Shed furniture repair morning – bring your old furniture along to see if it can be repaired – 10-11.30am, Thursday, November 16 at Rotary Way, Noosa Heads.
* Outdoor movie – Finding Dory – 6.30pm Friday, 17 November at Noosaville Lions Park, Gympie Terrace.
* Got any questions about Recycling? Come along and find out what can and can’t be recycled- 3pm Tuesday, 14 November at Noosa Aquatic Centre; 10am Wednesday, 15 November at Cooroy Library; 10am Friday, 17 November at Noosaville Library, and; 8am Saturday, 18 November at Bunnings Noosaville.
Free e-waste drop off – 8am to 4pm, Saturday, 18 November at Bunnings Noosaville.
* Pre-loved clothing market – Another Woman’s Closet – 8am Sunday, 19 November, Noosa Leisure Centre.
Participation in all of the workshop events is free.
National Recycling Week is a Planet Ark initiative to promote the environmental benefits of recycling. Now in its 22nd year, the established annual campaign continues to educate and stimulate behaviour change.
For more information on Noosa’s National Recycling Week activities, visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/waste-recycling .