Maitland Council has expanded a region-first recycling trial as it works towards the state government target of an 80 per cent reduction in waste going to landfill by 2030.
Under the Recycle Smart scheme, residents can book free monthly collections for problem waste like batteries, e-waste, old clothes and soft plastics which can not be disposed of in yellow bins.
An estimated 53,500 litres has been picked-up from participating homes in Maitland since the trial began last November.
The program has now been extended by another 12 months until next June as Council gathers more data around future resource recovery initiatives.
Maitland City Council Manager Environment and Sustainability Catherine Pepper said ‘positive feedback from the community’ was a ‘key factor in shaping the decision to extend the trial.’
“The initiative is a response to the community’s overwhelming support for increasing our efforts in recycling and resource recovery, with the goal of working towards the State Government set targets of 80% waste materials diverted away from landfill by 2030.
“Extending the trial will also provide us with more data and greater insight to work with around resource recovery, particularly for items that are tricky to recycle, like batteries, old clothes and soft plastics,” Ms Pepper said.
The extension of the trial also comes at the same time as the introduction of Council’s new bulky waste collection service, which started earlier this month.