Farmers and chemical around Mildura have hit an environmental milestone after collecting more than 200,000 empty agvet chemical containers through drumMUSTER.
Mildura Rural City Council runs 10 drumMUSTER sites across the region where chemical users can return their clean and eligible containers for recycling throughout the year.
The council has been involved with the program since 1999 and has recycled more than 201,000 drums during that time.
That’s more than 230 tonnes of waste avoiding landfill and being recycled into new things like plastic bollards, wheelie bins and pipes.
Victorian drumMUSTER Regional Consultant John Knight said the region delivered its first 100,000 drums in 2008 and managed to get another 100,000 in less than five years.
John said the region’s grape and fruit growers have helped with the success of the program in the region.
“The council run a good operation and they’re fantastic to work with,” he said.
“The standout is Ouyen Landfill where inspectors have collected 32,339 drums from more than 220 deliveries in the past decade. That’s an incredible amount of waste avoiding landfill and being turned into new things.”
Mildura Rural City Councillor for Environmental Sustainability Judi Harris applauded the efforts of locals who utilise drumMUSTER.
“drumMUSTER is an essential program for our community,” Cr Harris said.
“Having an avenue to safely recycle chemical containers is very important for our region, particularly given the prevalence of agricultural and horticultural production.
“Council is proud to partner with drumMUSTER and provide this service at our landfills and regional waste facilities.”
Once containers have been inspected they are held in a specially constructed cage to wait for recycling.
Remember to rinse all drums. Pierce metal drums to allow for better air-flow after rinsing. Plastic drums also need to have lids off before delivering.
Since 1999, drumMUSTER has collected more than 22 million drums nation-wide. That represents more than 27,000 tonnes of waste avoiding landfill.
For more information contact John Knight on 0427 346 325. For further information on the drumMUSTER program, call 1800 008 707.
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