When Wynyard Waste Transfer station in North West Tasmania was named the best tip in the country it was no surprise they were big supporters of drumMUSTER.
The station was recently awarded the Australian Tidy Town’s Resource Recovery and Waste Management Award. Robert Sheedy, who has run the station for nine years, said their work with drumMUSTER went a long way in clinching the honour.
“Obviously being in an agricultural community, drumMUSTER has been quite a big part of our work,” he said. “We have a properdrumMUSTERcage so we can safely store all the chemical drums that have been inspected and are free of any residuals.”
Wynyard has had a long history of recycling. In the early 1980’s, the town was the first in Tasmania to introduce kerbside recycling.
Since starting the drumMUSTER program in 2001, the Wynyard site has collected more than 10,000 drums, a fantastic effort towards Tasmania’s 258,225 total drum count.
Robert said himself and two of his staff are qualified to inspect drumMUSTER drums.
“We obviously maintain it pretty well to win some awards. But we don’t do anything different. It’s a beautifully set up station. All the bins are under cover, and we’ve even got a proper shelter for our drumMUSTER collection, which is convenient for us and the farmers.”
Tasmania’s drumMUSTER Consultant Andrew Winkler, who recently ran a refresher course on inspections, said it was great to work with a team that cares so deeply about their environment.
“When someone asks me about what drumMUSTER is about, I turn them towards Robert every time,” Andrew said. “Robert is one of the easiest guys I deal with during my work as a consultant and it’s real exciting to see them get behind the program.”
“It’s an efficient little site run with military precision, but it’s laid back at the same time,” he said.
Robert said he couldn’t have done it without his crew, some of whom have disabilities. He said they can all carry out their tasks and do a very good job.
“Full credit to my crew too. I’m only the head of it but the boys do a good job and I’m pretty proud of them,” he said.
Anyone in the region looking to get rid of their empty agvet containers can give the Wynyard Waste Transfer site and book a time on 03 6443 8393.
The site is open 9am and 5pm every day. Remember to rinse and dry the drums thoroughly before handing them over.
For any further information on the drumMUSTER program, call 1800 008 707 or log on to www.drummuster.com.au.
05/07/2012