A tender for construction of Goulburn's new recycling centre will soon be released, following a planning panel's approval.
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The Joint Regional Planning Panel recently signed off on the Re-Use Goulburn facility, known as RUG, proposed for the waste management facility.
The council says it will "complete the site's transformation from a traditional landfill to a modern waste management centre."
Mayor Bob Kirk said the project was designed to encourage recycling and reduce pressure on the landfill.
"The new facilities will be constructed with this as their purpose, while also improving the experience for our customers visiting the waste centre who will be able to dispose of most waste streams in an undercover facility," he said.
"That the DA went through the JRPP so quickly is testament to the benefits the facility will create for our community and our commitment to sustainability. Goulburn Waste Management Centre has undergone significant improvements over recent years with the introduction of recycling assistants that help customers separate and dispose of their waste in the appropriate locations."
The new centre will include education initiatives and a 'tip shop' located before the main waste disposal entrance. Any reusable items, such as furniture and building products, can then be repaired and on-sold.
"Based on feedback from other council areas, these facilities generally run at around a break-even point, meaning the expenses of operating the shops is roughly offset by the income received," Cr Kirk said.
"The biggest impact is in reducing waste to landfill and ensuring items are reused when possible."
The upgrade also includes a new recycling shed located near the current waste drop off bays. A spokesman said this would be an undercover, one-stop-shop for waste disposal with a community recycling centre for hazardous wastes, drop off areas for recyclables such as mattresses, polystyrene and cardboard. It will also the weighed disposal of items such as organic waste, co-mingled recycling and landfill waste.
"This will enable mixed loads to be separated at the point of disposal so that rather than having trailer load charges, we will be able to charge recyclables, for example, at a cheaper rate than waste disposed of in landfill," the spokesman said.
"There will also be an education centre and second weighbridge so we will no longer need to have vehicles accessing the weighbridge in both directions."
The community recycling centre component of the upgrade is supported by the Environmental Trust as part of the NSW EPA's Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, funded from the waste levy.
The council has allocated $7.5 million for the total project. Annual waste fees have risen in recent years to help pay for the facility.
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