Perth Voice Interactive

STIRLING city council has recycled virtually none of its domestic kerbside waste since August, dumping nearly 7000 tonnes of rubbish in landfill every month.

The council’s recycling system collapsed when the Atlas recycling facility in Mirrabooka unexpectedly ceased operations last August.

The facility had achieved a 65 per cent recycling rate over 10 years, from just one kerbside bin.

“There is no other operating alternative waste treatment facilities in WA with the capacity to take the city’s domestic waste,” Stirling council director Geoff Eves said.

Since August Stirling has investigated moving from a one- to a three-bin system and is consulting ratepayers.

Meantime it will continue to add to the 63,000-tonne mountain of rubbish it has sent to landfill since August.

Hilary Brad says residents have been left in the dark about the recycling collapse and are unaware their rubbish is going to landfill: “It only dawned on me after the reading the article in the Voice about Stirling moving to three bins and the Atlas plant shutting down,” she says.

“Residents should have been made aware of this so they can make alternative arrangements or have a choice in the matter.

“I’m surprised the biggest council in WA didn’t have a Plan B in place after the plant shut down.”

Mr Eves says the council is looking in the short term at expanding its agreement with the AnaeCo facility in Shenton Park, which processes around 20,000 tonnes of Stirling’s domestic waste every year.

He adds the council had been negotiating a contract extension with Atlas when the company’s Mirrabooka plant closed for repairs and all discussions were mysteriously suspended.

“The city has received no official notice of the reasons why the plant has not been recommissioned and has requested meetings with the contractor to discuss future developments without success,” he says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK