16 July 2012
Landfill upgrade improves community recycling by 20 per cent
This month marks six months since upgrades to the Evans Landing landfill came into effect, an important milestone in terms of the community working together to dispose of waste appropriately.
During 2010 and 2011, $2.5 million worth of upgrades were made to the 30-year-old facility, including a new drop-off station - located next to the weigh bridge - with a number of different drop off points for paper and cardboard, aluminium cans, white goods, batteries and waste oil. The upgrades also included significant improvements to the site's water management.
The landfill's overall environmental performance has improved since the upgrades were implemented, with a 20 per cent increase in the amount of recyclable material being disposed of at the facility.
A major clean up of illegally dumped domestic waste was undertaken earlier this year, and the offer of free disposal and degassing of white goods for the community commenced.
"These upgrades have significantly improved the segregation of waste and recycling, and we thank the community for their efforts in adapting to the new waste disposal setup," Environmental Operations specialist Tim Ryan said.
The drop-off stations enable users to drive across the weigh bridge to the building, where undercover parking allows for rubbish to be placed into the appropriate skip.
"The improved facility enables an easier and safer drop off, as the need for the public to drive onto the dump and dispose of waste in a potentially unsafe way is eliminated," Mr Ryan said.
"This type of drop-off station is common at landfill sites across the country. They reduce the amount of waste going into landfills by enabling items to be recovered and recycled.
"We encourage everyone to continue using the facility correctly and place rubbish into the right skip. The Cleanaway staff are there to help if people have any questions.
"There is a small charge for batteries and tyre disposal ($2.50 per battery, $5.50 per car tyre); everything else is free."
For more information about the landfill upgrade, please contact Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa's community feedback hotline 1800 707 633 or email RTAWeipafeedback@riotinto.com
About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and New York Stock Exchange listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, thermal and metallurgical coal, uranium, gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide and salt) and iron ore. Activities span the world and are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.
For further information, please contact:
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Bianca Graham
Office: +61 (0) 7 4069 8865
Mobile: +61 (0) 427 629 017
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Ian McGoldrick
Office: +61 (0) 7 3625 4445
Mobile: +61 (0) 407 211 900
Website: www.riotintoalcan.com
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Landfill upgrade improves community recycling by 20 per cent [PDF: 68 KB]
