Australia’s agvet chemical container recycling program drumMUSTER has been relaunched in Cranbrook and Franklin.
Jeff Alderton from the Cranbrook Shire Council and drumMUSTER Regional Consultant Graeme Passmore consulted with chemical users in Cranbrook, Franklin River and Tenterden to devise a way for them to dispose of their drums more conveniently.
Allan McGann, drumMUSTER’s National Program Manager, said Cranbrook Shire Council is one of hundreds of councils across the country who provide the service to ratepayers.
“drumMUSTER is an essential community service for a lot of regions. Farmers and other chemical users benefit by offloading drums that are becoming an environmental problem on their land.”
Farmers can now deliver their empty drums on an ongoing basis.
The Cranbrook Waste Facility receives drums on Monday and Thursday from 7:30-11:30am and Sunday from 1-5pm. Franklin River Waste Facility is open on Monday and Thursday from 1-5pm and Sunday from 7:30-11:30am. Deliveries over 25 drums are accepted with prior appointment by calling (08) 9826 1008.
Mr Passmore believes that greater access to the service is improving farmer participation and the resulting drum deliveries.
“The new options have been in place since the 1st of June 2014. Results received indicate that deliveries have increased by 26% against the same period in 2013 and the drums collected have risen from 840 to 2050.”
Mr Alderton said, “The new system appears to be working extremely well for all concerned. The Shire continually advertises the drumMUSTER arrangement through its monthly newsletters.”
Cranbrook Shire joins five other shires – Albany, Katanning, Plantagenet, Denmark and Kojonup – in the great southern of Western Australia already running drumMUSTER all year round as part of the operations of their managed waste facilities.
Richard Clapin, a resident of Franklin said, “I always missed drumMUSTER when it was on specific days. It’s very simple now. Just accumulate a few drums and drop them off.”
Cam Williamson of Cranbrook agrees, “We no longer have to wait months if we miss the day.”
The number of single trip drums being used by farmers is declining due to the increased use of returnable packaging arrangements for 110 litre (enviros) and 1,000 litre (IBCs) containers. Unfortunately, there is also growing evidence to suggest that some farmers are once again burying or burning their drums.
We encourage farmers not to become complacent by diverting small amounts of drums into the on-farm tip or by burning them along with other farm waste. Take the opportunity to use the drumMUSTER service and dispose of your drums off-farm, as you go.
Farmers who use drumMUSTER tend to have a much more organised approach to waste management. Some farmers have even become very progressive, refusing to dispose of any farm or household waste on their farm.
To find your nearest collection site, simply enter your postcode and state under ‘Collection locations’ on the drumMUSTER website. A map will appear with the closest site in your area marked.
A four cent per lt/kg levy is applied to participating manufacturer’s products and paid by the consumer at the point of sale. Participating manufacturers are identified by the inclusion of the eligible drumMUSTER logo on their containers and there are no transfer station or landfill fees when delivering these drums to any collection site.
Since 1999, drumMUSTER has collected more than 24 million drums across Australia, including almost 4 million in WA.
A significant milestone is expected to be reached in 2015, with the impressive 25 millionth container just around the corner.
“We are approaching a momentous time in the program’s history and there are less than 100,000 containers to be collected before we reach the 25 million mark,” said Mr McGann.
drumMUSTER would like to thank Jeff Alderton and the Cranbrook Shire Council for their ongoing support of the program.
For further information, call 1800 008 707.