Wednesday 31 October, 2012

If you've had a spring clean at home and need to dispose of some large unwanted waste items, Tamworth Regional Council can help - its biannual Bulky Goods Collection starts next Monday.

The Bulky Goods Collection will take place next week (November 5-9) in Tamworth, Moonbi and Kootingal. The following week (November 12-16) will be when the collection is undertaken within the townships of Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Attunga.

Tamworth Regional Council Waste Services Manager, Jon Beckett, said a change has been made to the upcoming collection regarding electronic waste as part of the transition to the opening of Tamworth's new E-waste recycling facility.

'Council is asking residents to hold off on the disposal of electronic waste such as old or broken computers, televisions, printers, and keyboards but instead bring their E-waste free of charge to the Small Vehicle Transfer Station at the Forest Road Landfill,' Mr Beckett said.

'To encourage this, Council will allow residents to drop off E-waste free at the Forest Road Landfill during the whole of November.' 

Joblink Plus plans to open a facility at Taminda in November, however it will not be open to residents for drop-off of E-Waste. E-Waste goods for recycling need to be taken to Council's Forest Road Small Vehicle Transfer Station where it will be stockpiled and later delivered to the Taminda facility where they will be dismantled and recycled.

Mr Beckett said any E-waste in a good and saleable condition put out for the Bulky Goods Collection will be picked up and re-sold later at the Yacannabuybetta Buy Back Centre. However, non-working electronic items may end up in landfill, rather than being fully recycled, if they are put out for the Bulky Goods Collection.

'We are hoping residents will see the benefit in holding back on the disposal of these items until they can bring them to the Forest Road Transfer Station so they can be fully recycled,' Mr Beckett said.

The Bulky Goods Collection is a service Council provides in June and November to help residents without access to a trailer or utility to dispose of waste items which will not fit into their wheelie bin.

The collection is for items such as furniture, small white goods, household electrical appliances, bedding or small bundles of tree branches. It will coincide with the usual pick-up for household garbage put in the wheelie bins with red lids.

Residents with goods for collection are asked to pile them neatly on the kerbside next to their wheelie bin - not in a place where it could be a hazard for pedestrians or vehicles. There is a limit to the amount of waste of no more than 2 metres by 1 metre by 1 metre - or the amount which would fill the tray of a standard ute.

The Bulky Goods Collection does not cater for the disposal of refrigerators or other large white goods, anything with refrigerant gases (such as air conditioners), bulky motor parts (such as tyres, batteries or oils), commercial waste, gas or liquid filled containers, demolition materials or plate glass.

Mr Beckett said residents are asked to put out their bulky waste items at the same time they put their bin out.

'Residents usually put their red lid bins out the night before the garbage truck comes and we ask they do the same for the bulky waste,' he said.

The Bulky Goods Collection service is only available within certain Council areas, and generally does not include rural properties or areas outside Tamworth city or villages. For more information, visit Council's website www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/waste under collection services.

In June this year, 163 tonnes of waste materials was picked up during the collection. On past years' experience, more waste is usually collected during the November service.

Residents can report any missed collections to the waste hotline on 1300 530 535.

Dos and don'ts of the Bulky Goods Collection  

• DO make sure the waste you put out for collection is no more than the amount which would fill the tray of a standard ute.
• DON'T put bulky waste on your kerb for collection until the same night you put out your red wheelie bin for garbage collection ? 
• DO pile your bulky waste neatly on the kerbside where it will not be a hazard to pedestrians or vehicles.
• DON'T put refrigerators or other large white goods, anything with refrigerant gases (such as air conditioners), bulky motor parts (such as tyres, batteries or oils), commercial waste, gas or liquid filled containers, demolition materials or plate glass out for collection.