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Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council makes progress

Sally McGlewMidland Kalamunda Reporter

THE Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council celebrated the completion of a significant stage of its long term Resource Recovery Project, with an official opening ceremony for the newly completed commercial and industrial waste sorting facility at the Hazelmere Resource Recovery Park.

The EMRC’s Hazelmere Resource Recovery Park is home to WA’s first mattress and timber waste recycling operations.

It is the first of its kind of integrated waste management operation in the state.

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EMRC chairman David Fardig said plans for Hazelmere would transform the park into a model of sustainability.

“The EMRC’s Resource Recovery Project includes significant developments at the Hazelmere Resource Recovery Park, including the commercial and industrial waste sorting facility and at Red Hill waste management facility,” he said.

“The project represents a long term commitment to ensuring that the capacity required to manage the region’s waste into the future is provided in a sustainable and cost effective way.”

The opening of the commercial and iIndustrial waste sorting facility was officiated by Environment Minister Albert Jacob and attended by a range of government, industry and community representatives.

This facility was supported by the Waste Authority through the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Account.

The Resource Recovery Project seeks to complement existing waste management solutions by providing a sustainable alternative to managing waste that is consistent with the State Government’s Draft Waste Strategy and its ‘Towards Zero Waste’ vision.

“The commercial and industrial waste sorting facility represents a significant portion of the $25 million investment planned for the park over the next five years,” Cr Fardig said.

“Future developments include a wood waste to energy plant, a new administration office and education centre, a Materials Recovery Facility, a greenwaste processing area and a community area.”

The Resource Recovery Park is designed to receive, store, process, repair and dismantle discarded materials, with the goal of selling them for re-use in industry or back to the public.

The waste sorting facility will recover resources from commercial and industrial waste streams, thus diverting waste from landfill whilst also providing an opportunity to reuse materials.

“With a diversion goal for the facility of 50-55 per cent of material presented, and a processing capacity in the order of 50,000 tonnes of material per annum, this facility provides the opportunity to divert around 25,000 tonnes of material from landfill each year,” Cr Fardig said.

Cr Fardig said the park was open for business from the start of the month.