The Dalby region is helping drumMUSTER get a head start on collecting another 20 million drums as the local council prepares for three musters next week.
Collections will be held at Bell, Ducklo and Jandowae next Thursday to give local growers the opportunity to get rid of their eligible and clean agvet chemical containers.
Last month drumMUSTER collected its 20 millionth drum after more than 13 years helping farmers and other agvet chemical users prevent 25,000 tonnes of empty agvet chemical containers going into landfill.
That’s enough uncompacted waste to fill 120 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Queensland drumMUSTER Regional Consultant Colin Hoey said Western Downs Regional Council has stuck with the program since it started in 1999.
He said without their support drumMUSTER wouldn’t have reached its 20 million drum milestone as quickly as it did.
“Western Downs Regional Council continues to recycle a large number of drums each year,” he said. “The program is well entrenched in the area and through a strategic footprint of sites and other options the drums continue to roll in.”
In the 2011-2012 year the council, which operates nine drumMUSTER compounds, saw 56,428 drums returned by chemical users. That’s a nine per cent rise in drum numbers being returned on the year before.
Since 1999 more than 662,000 drums have been recycled in the area, or about 3.3% of the national total.
Colin said he hopes some new changes in the region will continue to improve on program collection rates even more.
It was a year of records for the program, with Queenslanders having returned just over 400,000 drums in the past year, representing more than 400 tonnes of waste recycled.
Once containers are brought in, they are crushed or shredded and transformed into practical items such as plastic cable covers, wheelie bins and cement reinforcing bar chairs.
When returning agvet chemical containers make sure lids are removed and containers are clean and dry.
Western Downs Regional Council drumMUSTER collections:
Thursday 11th October:
Ducklo Drum Compound, Ducklo School Road, 8am – 2.30pm.
Jandowae Landfill, Winfield Road, 8am – 12pm.
Bell Refuse Site, Gum Tree Lane, 12pm – 3pm.
For any further information on the drumMUSTER program, call 1800 008 707 or log on to www.drummuster.com.au. For all local enquiries, get in touch with Colin Hoey on 0428 964 576.
03/10/2012