In May 2007, Randwick City Council won a prestigious award for its new recycling centre. The centre processes building and road construction material as well as organic garden waste. By collecting and using rainwater, the site is 90 per cent self sufficient for its water needs.
Since Randwick Council’s Recycling Centre opened in 2006, it has turned 60,000 tonnes of construction and organic waste material into 16 high quality reusable products processed to Australian Standards. The centre has reduced the amount of waste going to landfill, and saved more than four million litres of potable water in its first year of operation. It has direct financial benefits for the community in producing mulch and construction products for Council use, with excess supply sold to both Local Government and non government customers.
The centre’s work was recognised in May when it won the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) NSW Engineering Excellence ‘The three R’s – Recovering, Recycling and Reusing’ Award for its ‘state of the art’ reprocessing techniques and water use.
The centre uses bacterial processes to convert organic green waste into reusable products, such as mulch, with odours eliminated from the site using a unique microbiological control agent. Large scale mechanical equipment is used to sort and crush road construction, concrete and building waste.
Rainwater collected on the site is used in the centre’s showcase water reuse system to help in the decomposition of green waste, to suppress dust and to flush toilets.
Residents can drop off excess domestic glass, paper and cardboard at the centre for recycling. This year an onsite Waste Education Centre will be opened for community education, demonstrating water and energy saving measures.
With the Recycling Centre in operation, Council is exceeding NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery legislation and targets.
