WASTE CHANGES: Joblink Plus E-waste manager Mark Chew, left, talks with council’s waste services manager Jonathan Beckett about changes to the upcoming bulky goods collections and the way our region disposes of electronic waste. Photo: Robert Chappel 311012RCC03
IF YOU'RE tired of your old telly and it's clogging up space in your shed you now have a chance to get rid of it for good and do the planet a favour.
Changes have been made to Tamworth Regional Council's biannual bulky goods collection to help residents dispose of their unwanted large items.
The second bulky goods collection for 2012 will begin around the region on Monday.
Tamworth, Moonbi and Kootingal will be the first cabs off the rank for the kerbside rubbish removal.
Between November 12 and 16 the collection will move to the Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Attunga townships.
Council's waste services manager, Jon Beckett, said the change to the collection this time would relate to electronic waste as part of the transition to the opening of Tamworth's new E-waste recycling facility, run by Joblink Plus in Taminda.
"Council is asking residents to hold off on the disposal of electronic waste such as old or broken computers, televisions, keyboards and printers," Mr Beckett said.
Instead residents are being asked to bring their E-waste, free of charge, to the small vehicle transfer station at the Forest Rd Landfill.
To encourage residents' participation, council will allow people to drop off E-waste for free at the landfill this month only.
When the E-waste facility opens, residents will need to take waste to the Forest Rd small vehicle transfer station, where it will be stockpiled and later delivered to the E-waste facility to be dismantled and recycled.
Mr Beckett said any E-waste in a good and saleable condition put out for the bulky goods collection would be picked up and re-sold later at the Yacannabuybetta Buyback Centre.
"Non-working electronic items may end up in landfill, rather than being fully recycled, if they are put out for the bulky goods collection," Mr Beckett said.
"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 Rd transfer station so they can be fully recycled."
The bulky goods collection is a service council provides each 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.
Collections 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 place them neatly on the kerbside next to their wheelie bin no more than two metres by one metre by one metre or the amount which would fill the tray of a standard ute.
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 are not permitted to be left on the kerb for collection.