National Recycling Week: what goes around comes around

Published on 13 November 2023

National Recycling Week, a Planet Ark initiative, held from 13-19 November 2023, is an opportunity to support and promote recycling opportunities at home, work, school, and the community.

Pre-sorting your rubbish before arriving at any waste facility can significantly reduce your disposal charges, since many recyclables and problem wastes are taken free of charge.

Kempsey Council offers many free services to our community for recycling and safe disposal of household problem waste, saving valuable landfill space. Many materials can be reused and recycled if processed correctly. 

E-waste

Did you know you can take your e-waste to any waste transfer station in the Kempsey Shire and safely dispose of them for free? E-waste includes TVs, DVDs, VCRs, CDs, hi-fis, game consoles and accessories, MP3 players, laptops, PCs and peripherals, tablets, digital cameras, video cameras, computer monitors, printers and scanners. Matthews Metals, based in Kempsey, coordinates the recycling of these products.

Metal

Metal, and items that have high metal contents, are valuable resources, and as such can be recycled. Take your metal waste such as whitegoods, electrical cords, car parts and wire to a waste transfer station near you and recycle them for free. Matthew's Metals, based in Kempsey, recycles these products.

Basics

You can bring your basics to our waste transfer stations and get them recycled free of charge - paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, jars and cartons. These resources are transported by J&R Richards to the recycling centre in Cairncross, where they are processed.

Community Recycling Centres

Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) are funded by the EPA, and are permanent drop-off centres for common household problem wastes that can’t be collected via council kerbside waste and recycling collection services. NSW householders can drop off problem wastes at these centres year-round, free of charge. Items that can be recycled at our CRCs include:

Batteries

Batteries should not be put into general waste - partly because they contain toxic and hazardous wastes that can pose a risk to human health and the environment, but also because they contain valuable metals that can be recovered and used again. Take your lead acid and dry cell single use or rechargeable battery waste to any transfer station except Bellbrook.

Gas bottles and fire extinguishers

Don't keep your rusty, ancient gas bottle and fire extinguishers hanging around the house - they are a hazard! Plus, they can be recycled for free at all of our waste transfer centres (except Bellbrook). 

Paint and oil

All those crusty, three-quarter empty paint tins you've got hanging around the shed - yes, you guessed it - they can be recycled too! Same with motor, hydraulic, transmission and cooking oils, although please keep automotive oils separate from food grade oils when recycling (all waste transfer stations except for Bellbrook).

Printer Cartridges

Did you know nearly every component in your printer cartridge can be recycled? The companies that produce printer cartridges provide a recycling service where the ink and the plastic from the cartridges can all be extracted and reused. And, you can drop your printer cartridges into your local waste transfer station (except for Bellbrook).

Radioactive smoke alarms

My smoke alarm is radioactive?! Not quite, but most domestic smoke alarms use the radiation from a small amount of radioactive material to detect smoke or heat sources. This poses no risk to your health, but it does pose a threat to the environment if not disposed of correctly. Fortunately, smoke detectors can be safely recycled at any of our waste transfer stations (except for Bellbrook).

Fluorescent Lighting

Did you know that your fluoro-light bulbs contain mercury? You definitely don't want that heavy metal leaching into the ground. Fortunately, fluorescent bulbs can be recycled, meaning that the glass, metals and other materials can be extracted and re-used. And yes, you can take your fluorescent bulbs to be recycled at any of our waste transfer stations (except Bellbrook).

Only at Kempsey Waster Transfer Station

DrumMuster recycling, Needles and syringes disposal and X-Rays  

Don't forget - what goes around comes around! Not only can separating your rubbish save you money, it's also a big win for our environment.