MOUNT Gambier City Council will research the viability for the city to become a regional hub for recycling/incineration for councils within a 330km radius.
The council resolved at its monthly meeting to explore options including incineration and power generation to process recyclable waste and will prepare a report on international and domestic examples of recyclable plastics technology.
The decision coincides with the State Government announcing infrastructure and market development support grants to assist local governments as the global waste processing industry grapples with China’s National Sword Policy.
“With grant money on the table and perhaps more on the way from both state and federal government, we ought to be researching what is possible and what may be possible in the future,” Cr Steve Perryman said at the meeting.
“We should position ourselves to take up opportunities if and when they arise.
“A local government report has determined that anything over 330km is a distance that becomes uneconomical to transport plastics and cardboard recyclables.
“The challenge is going to be critical mass – if these processes need minimum volumes of waste they may not be viable with the amount of waste generated here given our relatively small population.”
Council will research options including pelletising plastics (for use in road base and other uses) and any other process or technology which would support council to reuse or recycle waste or process products for further use.
Council will consider the scale of operations and volumes generated – or which could be reasonably expected to be generated – if Mount Gambier became a hub for recycling/incineration processes for other councils within 330km of the city.
