Wagga’s bin system is geared to encourage recycling and has seen more than 10 million containers recycled in the past year. Photo: Wagga Council.
Disability service provider Kurrajong Waratah and Wagga Council have announced they will be continuing the Container Deposit Scheme that resulted in more than 10 million containers being returned through kerbside collection last financial year.
Under the scheme, which began in 2019, the council collects containers from kerbside recycling bins before they’re brought to Kurrajong Waratah for recycling.
The two organisations then split the profits from the recycled containers – 60 per cent to Wagga Council and 40 per cent to Kurrajong.
Wagga Wagga City Council Director of Economy, Business and Workforce Fiona Piltz said she believed the partnership had been extremely beneficial for both organisations and a clear indication of Wagga Wagga’s desire to recycle.
“Last year, council received over $660,000 in returned containers during the 2023-24 financial year,” Ms Piltz said.
“With our profits only being 60 per cent overall, that’s over a million dollars in cans and bottles that are being recycled through our curbside recycling across both council and Kurrajong.
“That’s a fantastic effort. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see that grow across the community.
“It’s really great to see the community getting behind it. So not only through what they’re putting into their kerbside recycling bins, but also then utilising those facilities at Woolworths and things like that to get their 10 cents back.
“So we really encourage the community to continue to do those kinds of things and recycle their containers.”
Ms Piltz said the funds received from the kerbside program would be used to further expand the current waste management and recycling infrastructure in the city.
“Due to the nature of where the funds actually come from, which is our curbside contract, those funds are actually restricted, and those funds go into our Domestic Restricted Fund,” Ms Piltz said.
“It then goes into looking at our rehabilitation and also our capital investments out at the Gregadoo Waste Management facilities.
“It is reinvested in the community, but it’s reinvested in a site that we’re all using to dispose of our waste.”
Ms Piltz said the partnership with Kurrajong was a successful and harmonious one that she was glad to see continue.
“We were able to have a good conversation and form an agreement with Kurrajong,” she said.
“This arrangement has been extended on top of the five years that we have already worked with them. The fact we’ve been able to continue this arrangement shows what I believe to be a pretty good partnership.”
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