At last: paper recycling for Alice

Alice Springs is set to get paper recycling, adding to the ‘green’ repertoire of the Town Council’s Regional Waste Management Facility (RWMF).
 
The NT Government is funding the purchase of a paper and cardboard waste baler, to the tune of $206,540. Council has already set aside the money for a shed and slab, which will be located near its glass-crushing shed.
 
Balers compact materials into blocks for ease of handling and transport. Having the baler will increase the existing recycling of cardboard as well as provide for paper recycling (some premature examples pictured).
 
The report to council from its Environment Officer, Hayley Michener, suggests that up to 6% (1960 tonnes) of the town’s total waste could be made up of cardboard and paper.
 
The recycled bales will be transported to markets in Adelaide, where the products fetch between $70 and $175 per tonne. There will obviously be freight charges to take care of, but these can be weighed up against the cost to council of having waste go to the landfill, cited as $65 per cubic metre.
 
Other materials recycled at the RWMF are: building materials; concrete; electronic waste; glass; green waste; household goods; mattresses; metals including white goods; timber and pallets; and diverse goods dropped off at the Rediscovery Shop. This last has earned more than $120,000 from the sale of pre-loved goods thus far this financial year.