Commercial and Industrial Waste Recycling and Disposal

Commercial and industrial waste recycling and disposal

Commercial and industrial (C&I) waste is solid waste arising from activities carried out within commercial and industrial businesses, including but not limited to offices, retail outlets, restaurants, factories, workshops and institutions.

Businesses are encouraged to look at the waste they are generating and implement effective waste management and minimisation practices:

·  Reduce – sort your waste into recyclable or recoverable waste types;

·  Reuse – reuse items or look for a more sustainable option that can be reused or recycled;

·  Recycle – search the “business recycling” website for businesses that need items you dispose.

Below you will find a few simple ideas to consider when managing your business waste. For more information contact council or visit the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) ‘reThink Business Waste’ program.

Reduce

Consider reducing your waste by:

·  Sorting and recovering your waste through other industry or council programs. You can reduce waste disposal costs including the state government waste levy;

·  Using prefabricated/standardised materials to reduce waste from off cuts, and costs for handling and disposal;

·  Using second-hand or recycled materials;

·  Salvaging material;

·  Implementing electronic office and operational systems;

·  Implementing duplex printing (both sides) to reduce paper consumption;

·  Separate garden or green waste from general waste and then compost it. This organic product produces greenhouse gases when buried in landfill.

Reduce costs

Prepare a waste management plan for the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste and benefit from the savings gained by sustainable waste reduction and disposal.

Contact EHP via the Queensland government’s customer referral centre 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

Reuse

Consider reusing your waste by:

·  Crushing waste concrete to use as a drainage medium or road construction material;

·  Processing garden waste or vegetation (green waste) into mulch or compost for gardens;

·  Selling or donating building materials, fixtures and fittings, heritage items such as old fire places and windows, to specialist or general second-hand outlets and recycling centres;

·  Donate items which are in reasonable condition to charity or to council’s Treasure Markets for resale. There are allocated drop off areas located at council’s four major waste management facilities located at Bunya, Caboolture, Dakabin and Redcliffe.

Recycle and recover materials

Council actively encourages the recycling of commercial and industrial waste. Licensing conditions with the state authority EHP place limitations on the type and amount of waste materials that can be accepted at council’s waste management facilities. Refer to council’s website for the full list of ‘Accepted Waste’ at council’s four major waste management facilities: http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au

The following waste types are accepted at council’s four major waste management facilities:

Waste type / Recycling and disposal options at council waste management facilities
Bulky waste / Waste which has a large volume such as car bodies and parts, open rolls of fencing wire, water tanks, lounges, lounge chairs, cupboards, wardrobes, barbeques, mattresses, beds etc.
Depending on the item and its condition it may be able to be reused or recycled.
Cardboard and paper / These items can be recycled ensuring that the material is dry and free from contaminates, and that boxes are collapsed and flattened with all the packing material removed.
Clean fill / Only loads of earthen material that are at least 90% clean soil or similar spreadable material are considered clean fill. The load can include sand, clay, road base and gravel mixtures. The material must be able to be reused onsite as a cover material. The remaining 10% can contain material such as vegetation, water and other solid earthen material (e.g. rocks) with a max size of 100mm. The load should contain no waste or separate foreign material.
Concrete waste including bricks and pavers / Concrete, bricks and pavers are accepted and processed (crushed and reused) at council’s major waste management facilities.
Please ensure the concrete is not contaminated with any waste or separate foreign materials e.g. fibro sheeting, plastics and timber to ensure it can be recycled.
Construction and demolition waste / Refer to construction and demolition waste fact sheet.
General waste / Mixed, unsorted non hazardous waste is accepted for disposal at council’s major waste management facilities; however this will incur the higher general waste disposal fees – including the state government waste levy – if it has not been sorted into the recyclable waste types.
Not included in this category – regulated or hazardous waste. Refer to regulated and hazardous waste fact sheet.
Green waste / Green waste (garden and organic waste) must be separated and free from contamination so it can be recycled into mulch.
Lightweight waste / Polystyrene and soft plastic wrap is not a recyclable material at council’s waste management facilities so please avoid using these products in packaging and handling where possible, as it will be disposed in landfill.
Metal / Scrap metal should be separated and free from contamination so it can be recycled. Metal is accepted at council’s major waste management facilities or it can be sold to a scrap metal merchant from your business site.
Waste type / Recycling and disposal options at council waste management & resource recovery facilities
Organic food waste / Food processing waste is classified as a limited regulated waste and can only be disposed in small quantities at council’s Caboolture and Dakabin waste management facilities. Refer to the regulated and hazardous waste fact sheet.
Food scraps for example from an office, workshop, school or a retail food outlet can be disposed of at council’s major waste management facilities.
Small amounts of food scraps however can be composted by using compost bins, worm farms, bokashi systems, etc. Larger quantities could be taken to commercial composting facilities.
Worm farms and compost bins can be purchased from council’s Treasure Markets at Dakabin and Caboolture, and the Redcliffe waste management facility.
Recyclable packaging
(excluding polystyrene) / Cardboard, paper, glass bottles and jars, aluminium and steel cans, milk and juice cartons and recyclable plastics can be recycled using council’s kerbside collection service OR at council’s major waste management facilities.
Some facilities require you to sort the waste and dispose of separately for cardboard and paper, glass bottles, plastic containers, aluminium cans and steel cans, while others have co-mingled (mixed) recycling bins.
Please ensure the recyclable waste is not contaminated with any other waste types to ensure the product can be recycled.
Re-usable items / Office furniture & shop fittings, timber & metal items, exercise equipment, timber, fencing, building & renovation items, doors and windows, lounges, cabinets, beds, ornaments and decorator items, books and music, toys, tools, garden equipment, etc.
Contact a charity or drop off to council’s Treasure Markets at Dakabin and Caboolture.
Timber / Timber products and off cuts should be separated and free from contamination so it can be recycled or used to produce green energy at power stations. This is accepted at council’s major waste management facilities.

Asbestos containing material and other hazardous waste

Asbestos containing material (ACM) and other regulated waste types can not be treated like general construction and demolition waste.

Please contact council on 07 3205 0555 or refer to www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au for more information about the disposal of asbestos. Fact sheets are available for asbestos and other hazardous waste.

Asbestos containing material (ACM) / Refer to asbestos or asbestos containing material fact sheet
Hazardous waste, dead animals, tyres, contaminated soil, limited regulated waste / Refer to hazardous and regulated waste fact sheet

If the waste cannot be accepted at council’s waste management facilities, services are offered by commercial recyclers who can provide onsite or offsite solutions. Refer to the Yellow pages or Planet Ark’s Business Recycling website: http://businessrecycling.com.au/

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