News

Commercial paint not accepted at Tamala Park

Thu, 14 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council wishes to advise that the paint drop off facility at Tamala Park is funded by the Waste Authority for household paint disposal only, NOT commercial loads. Paint can only be accepted to a maximum of 20 litres at a time. The commercial paint disposal scheme PaintBack does NOT apply at Tamala Park or Balcatta. These sites have been incorrectly advertised as accepting sites. Commercial painters who wish to use the PaintBack scheme to dispose of their excess paint must take it to: Cleanaway 88-92 Radium Street Welshpool WA 6106 Ph:1800 118 800 The MRC apologises for any inconvenience.

New Fees and Charges

Fri, 08 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMT

New fees and charges apply as of today for waste being dropped off at Tamala Park. General waste is $200/tonne (formally $195/tonne) and there is a new charge for clean green waste $75/tonne. The minimum entry fee remains unchanged at $16. Items in good condition and that can be reused, resold or recycled can be dropped off at Recycling for no charge and that such items are accepted at the discretion of the recycling attendant. In all other cases normal fees and charges apply

Christmas Hours

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The Tamala Park Waste Management Facility will close as of noon Thursday 24 December and will reopen 8am Saturday 26 December.

The MRC apologises for any inconvenience but wishes a Merry Christmas to all.

No Glass campaign launched

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT

On Sunday 25^th October the much anticipated ‘No Glass’ campaign was ‘soft’ launched at a series of events in the MRC region. The popular community events of Little Feet (City of Joondalup), Angove Street Festival (City of Vincent), Living and Leisure Expo (City of Wanneroo) and the Moreton Bay Fig Festival (Town of Victoria Park) will be the first to deliver the campaign message to the public.

The ‘No Glass’ campaign aims to reduce glass contamination in the general waste bin to improve recycling outcomes, in particular reducing glass making its way to the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) and into the compost that is produced there. This is to be primarily achieved by encouraging residents to utilize their recycling bins rather than the general waste bins to dispose of glass items through the application of a ‘NO GLASS in THIS Bin’ sticker and associated information.

Click here for more information about the campaign.

Gate fee increase at Tamala Park

Sat, 04 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

At last night’s Mindarie Regional Council Ordinary Council Meeting a small increase in the Tamala Park gate fee was approved. The gate fee will rise from $188/tonne to $195/tonne and the minimum entry fee from $15 to $16. This fee increase will apply as of Monday July 6^th 2015 to cover rises in operational costs.

To view the full list of Fees and Charges click here.

The Mindarie Regional Council’s operational costs have remained fixed for the last four years with fluctuations in gate fee having only been caused by the Carbon Price and rises in the State Government Landfill levy. This latest rise is largely inflationary but is partially caused through increased resource recovery and recycling activity and due to reduced tonnage being landfilled.

FREE drop off for householders will continue at the Tamala Park Recycling Centre for recyclables, good condition second hand items and household hazardous waste.

MRC a Top Ten Printer Cartridge Recycler

Thu, 14 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council has made the top ten councils recycling printer cartridges. Last year 1,399 printer cartridges were collected at the Recycling Centre which were then sent to Planet Ark for recycling. Just another example of where the MRC is ‘winning back waste’. Printer cartridges contain many valuable materials that can be recycled

Printer cartridges collected through the ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' program are sorted and, depending on their condition, returned to the manufacturer for reuse or dismantled, with plastics, metals, toner and ink collected and refined for recycling. They are turned into a wide range of items including commodities like aluminium, ferrous metal, stainless steel and over six different plastic types, as well as new products like cartridges, pens, rulers, asphalt additives, and eWood™ (a plastic wood) which is used to make park benches, fencing and garden beds.

Every day in Australia around 9,000 cartridges are diverted from landfill through ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark'. Overall, 27 million cartridges have been recycled since the program began in 2003 and approximately 12,000 tonnes of valuable resources such as metals and plastics have been recovered.

Tamala Park Stars

Mon, 04 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

WA Weekender is a program shown on Channel 7 looking at things that people could do as a weekend activity…and of course what better activity than dropping in at Tamala Park and visiting the Tip Shop in particular.

The full series of short stories based around MRC’s work on ‘winning back waste,’ in particular the Recycling Centre and Tip Shop, has now been aired.

The segments show some of the great work that gets done at Tamala Park and gives tips on how we can all reduce, reuse, recycle and dispose wisely.

If you want to check the segments out now you can do so by clicking here.

MRC features in Episodes:

9 (two segments), Verge season and Weekend party supplies

· 10, Weekend painting

· 11, Autumn gardening, and

· 13 (two segments), Winning back Waste and Recycling.

Prescribed burning at Tamala Park

Fri, 01 May 2015 00:00:00 GMT

The City of Wanneroo uses planned fire to manage bushland reserves in order to protect life and community assets and maintain the biological diversity of bushland habitats.

In order to significantly reduce the summer fire risk, a hazard reduction burn has been scheduled in the bushland around Tamala Park during the week commencing, 4th May 2015. (See map below).

The actual day of the burn will be subject to the prevailing weather conditions. If the burn cannot be conducted during the scheduled dates, it may be completed anytime in the next month.

Please ensure that your evaporative air conditioner is turned off during this period. It is also recommended that all doors and windows are closed to minimise the impact of smoke entering your home.

The completion of the proposed prescribed burn will provide increased strategic protection for the community from damage caused by uncontrolled bushfire events.

For more information click here.

TAMALA PARK FERAL ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT

In recent times the number of rabbits and foxes found within the Tamala Park waste management site has increased significantly.

Baiting, using the poison 1080, has previously been carried out. However, due to its potential to also affect off target species like crows, wedge-tail eagles and domestic animals, its use was discontinued on site.

The Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) has considered a number of alternatives and believe a shooting program is the most efficient and measurable approach to deal with the problem and with the least impact on native species. As a result a trial shooting program will be conducted during March 2015 at the Tamala Park landfill site.

The trial will be conducted by licenced, accredited shooters within guidelines developed in discussions with the WA Police, the Farmer Assist Program and Conservation Wildlife Branch of WA. The MRC is satisfied that the trial program does not pose a risk to public safety, nor should it cause any noise disturbance.

Should you have any concerns or need more information please click here (Env Management link) or contact the MRC on ph 9306 6303

FIRE BAN – TAMALA PARK CLOSED 5th Feb – 8th Feb 2015

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Due to the bushfires in the south of the State and the continuing expected hot weather DFES has imposed a Total Fire Ban and a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban throughout the City of Wanneroo, that includes Tamala Park.

The ban is effective from 4 February 2015 at 17h00 until 8 February at 23h59.

The implication for the MRC is that the Tamala Park site will be required to close its recycling drop off area and shop, as well as the transfer station for the next 4 days. Therefore NO public waste drop offs will be permitted at the site for the duration of the ban.

The MRC apologise for any inconvenience and advise that Balcatta Recycling and transfer station will remain open during this time and can be used as an alternative drop off site.

This will not impact normal council waste verge collections from residents or truck deliveries that go straight to the landfill.

Normal operations will recommence on Monday, 9 February.

LANDFILL LEVY INCREASE

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT

As part of the State Budget for 2014/15 an increase to the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Levy, which is applied to metropolitan waste received at all landfills including Tamala Park, was announced.

From 1 January 2015, the landfill levy rate will increase from $28 per tonne to $55 per tonne for putrescible waste. This is a compulsory levy and is paid directly to the State Government in full.

The Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) is supportive of the landfill levy, to the extent that it helps promote the diversion of waste from landfill, in line with our ‘Winning Back Waste’ vision.

This levy increase will be added to the gate fee for waste coming to Tamala Park raising the gate fee from $158/tonne to $188/tonne. With waste deposited at landfill becoming more expensive, the MRC will continue to work closely with its member councils and the public to expand existing initiatives and develop new ones to help them reduce the amount of waste being generated and landfilled.

The good news, though, for the general public is:

The minimum charge for entry through the weighbridge remains unchanged at $15.00
All other scheduled fees and charges remain unchanged (see full schedule of fees on website)
Free drop off at the Recycling Centre continues for recyclables, good condition second hand items and household hazardous waste (see website for more details)

Of the revenue raised from this levy by the State Government, disappointingly only 25% will be paid into the WARR Account to implement initiatives to help manage, reduce, re-use or recycle waste better. The MRC would like to see a greater percentage of the levy money allocated back into the waste industry to promote initiatives to reduce the amount of waste being generated and sent to landfill.

Recycle at Tamala Park

Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT

It’s Recycling Week, 10 -16 November. The Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) operates a Recycling Centre and tip shop in Tamala Park where people can drop off for FREE good quality unwanted second hand goods for reuse. Rather than place furniture and other household goods on the verge, people are encouraged to bring the items in and they are then on sold at bargain prices. Importantly, these items are given a second maybe even a third lease on life and are diverted from landfill.

Many household items, even if they can’t be sold and reused, are made of material that can be recycled. Where possible these items are added to MRC’s recycling streams. At MRC’s Recycling Centre people can also drop off all manner of recyclables for FREE including: paper/cardboard, metals, glass bottles, white goods (fridges, freezers, washing machines and dryers), TVs and computers.

A Whale of a Tale with Dignity in the End

Thu, 06 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT

After drifting off Rottnest and providing a feast for numerous sharks a large whale carcass finally washed up on Scarborough beach. Larger and heavier than originally thought, the City of Stirling after a couple of days managed to get the carcass off the beach to Tamala Park. The whale had drawn media attention whilst at sea due to the exploits of one man who swam through shark infested waters to ride on the carcass. Then crowds watched with interest the efforts to remove the animal off one of the State's most famous beaches. The animal was then seen parked outside the gates of Tamala Park to the bemusement of early morning commuters before finally the gates were open and the 27.5 tonne whale entered the landfill, its final resting place.

However, the decomposing whale had left its mark on the beach and many more contaminated tonnes of beach sand were to be deposited to landfill over the next couple of days as the clean-up continued.

Tamala Park Tip Shop joins the Garage Sale Trail

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The Tamala Park Tip Shop has registered to be a part of this year’s Garage Sale Trail on 25^th October 2014.

The Garage Sale Trail is an opportunity to deliver a fun, creative and community-minded program for the benefit of residents and local organisations. Instead of just throwing things out on the verge at the next bulk verge collection it provides everyone in the community the chance to repurpose their unwanted belongings, live in a more sustainable fashion by reducing waste, connect with other locals, and raise some money for themselves or others.

Remember if you are holding a garage sale to get rid of all those unwanted goods and you don’t manage to sell everything, don’t throw it in a bin or put it out for bulk verge collection, bring it into Tamala Park and who knows it may just be what one of our regular visitors are looking for.

Tamala Park Tip Shop – a garage sale Friday to Monday every week of the year.

Plastic free July, will you accept the challenge?

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council supports Plastic Free July and promotes this activity throughout its community. Plastic Free July is an annual campaign to create an awareness of the environmental problems associated with plastics, in particular single use plastic products. Plastic bags, plastic drinking straws, plastic wrap, disposable plastic plates and cups are just some of the many products we use, just once and then throw away…what a waste.

The effort and cost of producing single use plastic items is amazing. Plastics are made from oil that has spent millions of years within the Earth being formed. The oil is extracted and shipped to a refinery, where it is sent to a factory to be turned into plastic. This plastic is then sent to another factory where it is shaped into a spoon, a straw, a plastic bag or whatever. This item is then shipped and trucked to a store, where you buy it, use it and throw it away. The environmental cost of all this is enormous.

Plastic Free July aims to encourage us to look at the way we consume and maybe see where we can reduce our consumption of single-use plastics. Will you accept the challenge?

Tipping Fees reduced

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council is removing the Carbon Price from its general waste tipping fee as of 1 July 2014.

Most large landfills, of which Tamala Park is one, have been required by the Federal Government to pay a carbon price for emissions produced by the waste deposited, since 1 July 2012 resulting in a Carbon Price being added to the MRC’s gate fee. It is expected that the Carbon Price will be repealed by the Federal Government in the near future. It is believed that this will be made retrospective to 1st July 2014. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have been given a mandate to ensure that there are no ‘windfall gains’ made by suppliers during this period. Customers would therefore have to hold onto their tipping fee receipts and claim this charge back. To avoid having to do this and for the ease of administration for everyone, the MRC has decided to not pass on the costs associated with the Carbon Price from 1st July 2014.

This will reduce tipping fees at Tamala Park as of 1st July 2014 from the current $166 per tonne to $158 per tonne. The minimum charge for entry through the weighbridge remains unchanged at $15.00.

In the unlikely situation where the Carbon Price is NOT repealed by the Federal Government it will be reinstated as part of the MRC’s fees and charges for waste disposed of to landfill.

Free drop off at the Recycling Centre continues for recyclables, good condition second hand items and household hazardous wastes.

Batteries continue to cause fires

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Batteries left inside electrical equipment are thought to be responsible for regular fires that have been occurring at the Tamala Park landfill site in recent times. Up to four fires a day have been occurring on the landfill disrupting operations and although they have all been dealt with quickly they do pose the potential to develop into something more serious.

Battery powered devices are becoming increasingly common and they are being powered by more efficient NiCd and Li batteries, batteries that can hold a significant residual charge. Unfortunately they are increasingly finding their way into the waste stream. In-situ batteries in laptop computers, remote controls, toys, musical gift cards, mobile phones and other battery powered devices that are being disposed of into household bins, skips or as part of bulk verge collections are sparking during the landfilling process causing the fires. These electrical goods are often small and easily thrown in the bin but they should be disposed of in other ways. The best method is to bring them to the Tamala Park Recycling Centre for safe recycling.

Dry celled batteries, removed from appliances, can also be disposed of in one of the many battery collection bins located throughout the Region. See the MRC Homepage for details, Community/batteries.
5 June 2014 Batteries continue to cause fires

Batteries left inside electrical equipment are thought to be responsible for regular fires that have been occurring at the Tamala Park landfill site in recent times. Up to four fires a day have been occurring on the landfill disrupting operations and although they have all been dealt with quickly they do pose the potential to develop into something more serious.

Battery powered devices are becoming increasingly common and they are being powered by more efficient NiCd and Li batteries, batteries that can hold a significant residual charge. Unfortunately they are increasingly finding their way into the waste stream. In-situ batteries in laptop computers, remote controls, toys, musical gift cards, mobile phones and other battery powered devices that are being disposed of into household bins, skips or as part of bulk verge collections are sparking during the landfilling process causing the fires. These electrical goods are often small and easily thrown in the bin but they should be disposed of in other ways. The best method is to bring them to the Tamala Park Recycling Centre for safe recycling.

Dry celled batteries, removed from appliances, can also be disposed of in one of the many battery collection bins located throughout the Region. See the MRC Homepage for details via Community/Batteries or click on the following link - http://www.mrc.wa.gov.au/Community-2/Battery-Program.aspx

A waste oddity

Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

On Monday, a 3 metre head of a sperm whale washed ashore at Sorrento Beach attracting many curious onlookers. Although dead whales regularly wash up on our beaches, sperm whales are not so common and as a result, it created a fair bit of interest with its large teeth and jaws clearly visible.

Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and have been immortalised in literature and on the screen, as Moby Dick and the whale in Disney's Pinocchio. The head usually represents about a third of the whale, making this whale a 9 metre specimen before its death.

With the head weighing over 3 tonnes and in a difficult location, it took until the following day to be removed from the beach and, as it was reported in some media, delivered to a 'Park near Mindarie'. Representatives from the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPAW) took teeth and tissue samples from the whale before the landfill guys did their job and buried it.

Tamala Park Viewing Platform

Thu, 22 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

This morning the engineers and John Willett (Manager and Development Consultant) from Ertech met with the MRC’s Gunther Hoppe (Director of Corporate Services) and Mike Myring (Landfill Manager) to officially handover the viewing platform overlooking the Tamala Park landfill. Earth works for the viewing platform have been completed by the Ertech training academy over the last 12 months.

The platform will allow tour groups uninterrupted views of the landfill operations to further enhance their experience as they learn about the Tamala Park landfill and the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and dispose wisely’ message.

Tours are free and are held on a regular basis. For more information about tours of MRC’s facilities see the tours section of this website.

Landfill Levy Increase

Wed, 14 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The State Budget for 2014/15 has been released and includes an increase to the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Levy, which is applied to metropolitan waste received at all landfills including Tamala Park.

From 1 January 2015, the landfill levy rate will increase from $28 per tonne to $55 per tonne for putrescible waste. This is a compulsory levy and is paid directly to the State Government in full.

The Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) is supportive of the landfill levy, to the extent that it helps promote the diversion of waste from landfill, in line with our ‘Winning Back Waste’ vision.

Although no decision has yet been made by the MRC, it is likely that this levy increase will be added to the gate fee for waste coming to Tamala Park. This would impact on the budgets of its member councils for the 2014/15 financial year and beyond, as well as on the gate fee charged to members of the public. With waste deposited at landfill becoming more expensive, the MRC will continue to work closely with its member councils and the public to expand existing initiatives and develop new ones to help them reduce the amount of waste being generated and landfilled.

Of the revenue raised from this levy by the State Government, disappointingly only 25% will be paid into the WARR Account to implement initiatives to help manage, reduce, re-use or recycle waste better. The MRC would like to see a greater percentage of the levy money allocated back into the waste industry to promote initiatives to reduce the amount of waste being generated and sent to landfill.

Compost in May

Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Compost is a sustainable product that provides many benefits to the soil, including:
•   Increased soil organic matter and soil biodiversity
•   Increased soil nutrient levels
•   Increased water holding capacity (reducing watering requirements)

Compost in May features activities, events and publicity to improve awareness about using organic waste as a resource to produce compost. It is supported by the WA Waste Authority. The MRC and its member councils have a number of events and activities taking place at this time.

To find composting activities that are taking place near you either follow the Composting in May links either here on the MRC’s website (for activities being held in the MRC council areas) or log onto the WA Waste Authorities website www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au (for activities taking place throughout Perth) .

New dump truck

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The MRC took delivery at Tamala Park of a new dump truck to assist with its operations. The $400,000 Komatsu HM300-2 Articulated Dump truck has a payload of 30 tonnes and is fitted with a tail gate to lower spillage around the site. The Komatsu is fitted with tier 3 low emission engine and will be used most of the time to cart the crushed limestone daily cover to the tip-face. “Compared to the truck it is replacing the vision, handling and ride is so much better. Although the truck it is replacing was only five years old, the technological advancements have just improved so much”, said Mike Myring, MRC’s Landfill Manager.

Earth Carers Training

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The next training course for Earth Carers, people interested in learning about living with less waste, starts Tuesday 11th March 2014. See details about the training course in the Earth Carers section on this website.

Japanese Volunteers

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 00:00:00 GMT

A group of visiting students from Otemon University in Japan as part of a volunteer program helped MRC staff complete a number of tasks at the Tamala Park site. After completing a safety induction and tour of the facility they got down to work. Tasks included helping sort reuse items at the tip shop, painting the paving at the education centre, tree planting around the administration building, fertilising a landfill revegetation site and accompanying drivers in the water cart and dump truck. Working on a site like Tamala Park is so very different to anything they are used to in Japan.

Fire, Fire, Fire

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Tamala Park has had an increase in the number of small tipface fires. Investigations of these have shown that the majority are caused by NiCd batteries. These are the rechargeable type of batteries commonly found in laptop computers, cameras and many other small household electrical goods. Unfortunately these batteries are being dropped into household bins.

Apart from the fire risk and the potential to create a far larger incident if the sparks caused by these batteries ignite some explosive fuel source, NiCd batteries contain chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment.

These batteries and appliances that contain batteries should NOT be disposed of in either green lid household waste bins, yellow top recycling bins or on the verge for bulk verge collections. However there are many places where you can easily drop these batteries off for disposal and recycling.
These batteries should be disposed of at sites like:
•   Tamala Park Recycling Centre
•   Balcatta Recycling
•   in one of the many battery collection bins located throughout the metropolitan area
•   at schools who participate in the battery recycling program or
•   at Household Hazardous Waste collection days that are held on a regular basis.

PayPass now at Tamala Park

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT

To speed things up through the Tamala Park weighbridge and at the Recycling Centre tip shop ‘PayPass’ machines have been installed. It is hoped that customers will find this service useful and will result in faster service. For those people with ‘PayPass’ enabled cards you can just tap and go, no signing or PIN or worrying about the right money and change.

It is estimated that up to 75% of transactions will use the new method of payment. This will prove particularly useful during weekends and public holidays when queues tend to build.

It is NOT waste

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Late September the MRC, with funding from the Waste Authority, purchased an excavator to assist with the recovery of material from the tip face.

The two waste streams targeted are metals, due to its recycling value, and mattresses, which although are recycled are mainly recovered to free up air space. Mattresses are a problem in landfills, as they are not easily compacted and take up a lot of space in landfill compared with other similar weight material.
It is hoped that eventually other material, like wood, may also be recovered in the future.

In the last four months 585 tonnes of metal and 82 tonnes of mattresses (about 5,000 mattresses) have been pulled off the tip face, largely coming from member council bulk verge collections. This despite some member councils recovering the items off the verge themselves. This resource recovery project has clearly demonstrated just how much useful material has previously been lost to landfill.

Skyworks Recycling

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council and its Earth Carer volunteers assisted the City of Perth with its recycling activities at this year’s Skyworks, Perth’s premier Australia Day celebration. Tonnes of rubbish are left after the skyshow every year and a lot of it is potentially recyclable. Unfortunately most of it is mixed with the all the other rubbish so it just ends up all going to landfill.

To try and increase the recycling rate MRC staff and volunteers handed out rubbish and recycling bags; staffed the recycling stations, where patrons were rewarded with discount vouchers for bringing in full bags of recycling; sorted rubbish bags, to reduce contamination in the recycling bins; and, just raised people’s attention to waste issues. This activity was supported by regular messages promoting recycling as part of the event radio broadcast.

“Public place/event recycling is something we are not very good at here in Western Australia. The MRC’s involvement at this event is part of an on-going education campaign to show people that recycling is just as important at these events as it is in their own homes,” said Geoff Atkinson, MRC’s Education Manager, “People are getting better about placing rubbish in the bin, now we have to get them to place the right rubbish in the right bin, or even better, get them to bring less rubbish to these events.”

Looking a lot like Christmas....

Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The festive season is here!! While Christmas is known as the time to be kinder to our fellow man, spare a thought for the planet. Traditionally, we eat, drink, celebrate and buy more than any other time of the year, however have you considered what happens to all that extra waste generated and the extra resources we consume. In light of this, Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) and Planet Ark are asking everyone to undertake some simple actions to reduce their impact on the environment and their pockets over the festive season.

Christmas is a busy time of year for the MRC. The Tamala Park facility is closed Christmas Day but is open all the days leading up to and after Christmas Day. “Unfortunately it is a time when all our good waste reduction behaviours seem to go out of the window,” says Geoff Atkinson, MRC’s Education Manager. “We forget to recycle, we buy and waste excessive amounts of food and other goods, and we have big clean-ups, so all the things that we have kept all year to re-use, repair or give away end up in the bin or get taken to the tip.”

A few basic actions can make a big difference to your environmental impact and your budget over Christmas. Planet Ark’s The 12 Do’s of Christmas awareness campaign includes tips for reducing food waste and excess packaging, buying green gifts, and recycling items like wrapping paper, foil, cartons, drink containers, plastic and cards as well as electronics and batteries.

Australian households throw out about A$5.2 billion of food every year, enough to fill more than 450,000 garbage trucks , yet last year we still spent around $913 million on extra food at Christmas . The level of emissions generated by household food waste in landfill is similar to the total emissions involved in the manufacture and supply of iron and steel in Australia1.

“Planning meals ahead of time is one of the easiest ways to prevent food wastage,” says Planet Ark Spokesperson Rebecca Gilling. “Buying presents in plenty of time also avoids those last-minute panic buys that never get used by the recipient.”

In recent years we’ve been spending up to $500 on presents2, many of which are unwanted. Taking someone shopping for their present, giving experiences, gift vouchers or donations are great ways of reducing the likelihood of a present sitting in a cupboard unused.

Electronic waste is also a big theme at Christmas as people receive new electronic items and toys as gifts, which are also often battery-heavy. Last year it was electronics vendors such as JB Hi-Fi, Apple, Dick Smith and Harvey Norman that dominated Christmas sales, a trend that looks set to continue. A survey from MobileMuster showed that nearly half of all Australians were planning to buy a new mobile over Christmas and the summer sales.

Rather than placing old TV’s, computers or mobile phones in the bin or out on the verge for bulk waste collection, the Tamala Park Recycling Centre will recycle all these e-waste items for free. The Recycling Centre also accepts other recyclables including: cardboard, glass bottles and cans, so if your recycling bin is full and you don’t want to wait until your next collection, bring them in.

1 Recycling Revolutions report, Planet Ark October 2013

2 CBA Consumer Christmas Spend Report 2012

Christmas Tips here

Tamala Park Open Day

Sat, 05 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Tamala Park Open Day proved to be a successful day. Over 700 cars came in during the Open Day time of 10am – 3pm and with about another 100 cars that had arrived prior to the event, equating to a few thousand people visiting the site. With lots of displays, entertainment and food, there was a lot going on. Tours of the site ran all day and every tour was a full 33 seater bus.

A City of Wanneroo rubbish truck proved very popular with adults and children queuing to get up close, sit in and watch the arm extend and pick up bins. Importantly lots of positive feedback about the day particularly from an education point of view. A very encouraging day.

“A fantastic day. It was great to see the community get behind this. Many people just had no idea of the size and diversity of our operations and were keen to find out just what happens to their waste”, said Brian Callander, Mindarie Regional Council’s CEO.

City of Stirling remains a member of the MRC

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Mindarie Regional Council and the City of Stirling have reached agreement that will see the City of Stirling be retained as a member of the MRC and cease any further action that would facilitate Stirling’s withdrawal.

The MRC at its meeting on 5 September 2013 resolved to provide the City of Stirling a financial incentive as a retainer for their commitment as a member of the MRC. The incentive is in the form of a discount on the members gate fee. The discount reduces over a four year period after which all members will pay the same gate fee. The City of Stirling at its Council meeting on 17 September 2013 also resolved to accept MRC’s offer.

MRC’s Chairperson, Cr Russ Fishwick stated that, “the negotiations were held in good spirit allowing both parties to find the common ground that led to the solution” and added, “ this is a win win for all the member councils of the MRC as the additional revenue substantially reduces the cost of waste disposal on the member councils and ensures that the MRC remains competitive in the waste industry”.

Waste Authority Infinity Awards 2013

Mon, 02 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This year Mindarie Regional Council was a finalist in the Waste Authority Infinity Awards 2013 and received Highly Commended in the Waste Champion Category for its efforts in community engagement, education and in particular its Earth Carers program.

City of Stirling resume tipping at Tamala Park

Mon, 05 Aug 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The City of Stirling resumed tipping at the Tamala Park landfill site as of 5^th August. Negotiations are continuing between the parties with the view to the City of Stirling being retained as a member of the MRC.

E-Waste - World Record

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

To promote e-waste recycling, the MRC has teamed with the TechCollect program to hold a special e-waste collection event at Tamala Park Recycling Centre from Saturday 20th April to Sunday 28th April

E-Waste Event

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Special e-waste recycling event this weekend at Tamala Park and Town of Cambridge administration car park

New Gate Fee and the Carbon Price

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A gate fee increase at the Tamala Park Waste Facility will apply as of 13 July 2012.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE/JULY 2012

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Waste and community events happening in June and July 2012

Opening of the Ertech Construction Academy site

Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Earlier this month The Minister for Energy; Training and Workforce Development; Indigenous Affairs – Peter Collier MLC visited Tamala Park and officially opened the Ertech Construction Academy site.

The MRC has made available land at its Tamala Park site for the Ertech Construction Academy. The Academy provides young people, particularly indigenous students, with a pathway into the civil construction industry. The workplace operations training covers a wide range of activities from the basics of occupational health and safety, duty of care responsibilities, installation of underground services through to the operation of large mobile earthmoving plant.

John Willett, Manager and Development Consultant - Ertech Construction Academy said at the opening, “To have access to the space for our Training Academy, particularly for the indigenous Year 11/12 students, has been a bonus for the school. It has enabled the company to continue this excellent program – without which we would have had to close the program down.”

MRC CEO Brian Callander also commented, “The waste industry is an employer of workers who require the type of skills taught at the Academy. The MRC is keen to do its bit to support this initiative, assisting students of the local community and in training its potential future workforce”.

Hillarys Boat Harbour clean-up

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The NARC Dive Club held its annual clean-up of the Hillarys Boat Harbour on the weekend of April 28^th & 29^th, collecting 2.65 tonnes of rubbish. A shore clean-up along with the dive clean-up meant more smaller items were collected than in previous years, totalling 18,943 items with cigarette butts (9,762) being the largest contributor to this number.

It is always amazing to see what items are collected during these clean-ups. Apart from the expected litter items like plastic bags, cans and bottles; dozens of chairs, shoes, kettles, shopping trolleys (see photo), skateboards and even an i-pad were also collected.

The NARC Dive Club chairman Chris Dodd commented on the interesting things collected, “A couple of the things that took me by surprise were the 150m of razor wire, the lead acid batteries and one whole Zodiac Tender (inflatable boat).”

The MRC supported this venture by offering free disposal at its Tamala Park landfill site.

7 day a week drop off only at Recycling

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

7 day a week drop off only at Recycling at Tamala Park.

WA Waste Strategy

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MRC’s CEO Brian Callander joined others in the waste industry at the launch of the much anticipated West Australian Waste Strategy: “Creating the Right Environment”.

The Environment Minister Hon. Bill Marmion MLA accompanied by the Chairman of the Waste Authority Peter Fitzpatrick to present the Strategy and discuss some of its implications. The strategy sets targets for the waste industry to improve on current waste recovery rates.

Brian Callander said, “ the strategy gives us some guidance and will help the Council develop initiatives to achieve the targets set”.

To view the WA Waste Strategy document click on the following link:

http://www.zerowaste.wa.gov.au/news/waste-strategy-creating-the-right-environment-launched/

Filling of the last Tamala Park landfill hole begins

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The MRC has begun depositing waste into Phase 3, the last hole to be dug at the Tamala Park landfill site.

MRC's new CEO takes the helm

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"I would like to acknowledge the Mindarie Regional Council for having the confidence in me to head the organisation and meet its expectations," said Brian on his arrival. "I intend to use the experiences I have gained over the last 16 years to ensure that we continue to improve our service provision and that we do so effectively and efficiently using contemporary management systems and processes."

NEW OPENING HOURS - TAMALA PARK

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

From 2nd January 2012 Tamala Park's Waste Disposal Facility and Recycling Centre have new opening and closing hours

CALENDAR OF EVENTS DEC 2011 / JANUARY 2012

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

New Calendar of events for Tours and Excursions

2011 Christmas Pageant

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The MRC joins in this year's Christmas Pageant

Stay Linked to MRC

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Install MRC Tinklet to help with quick access

MRC Wins Australian Business Award

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Mindarie Regional Council has been recognised among Australia's most innovative organisations, winning the Australian Business Award for Best Educational Product in the 2011 Awards for its Tours Program.