The Eastern and Southern Metropolitan Regional Councils will share in $130,000 worth of State Government grants to trial two innovative waste reduction projects.
EMRC has won $95,000 from the Strategic Waste Initiatives Scheme to trial the introduction of a third household rubbish bin for the collection of organic waste.
EMRC will also share a $35,520 grant with the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council to commission a study into a pilot program for the collection and recycling of electronic waste in Perth.
Environment and Climate Change Minister David Templeman said the grants were funded through the State’s levy on waste dumped at urban landfill sites.
Mr Templeman said the first grant would enable EMRC to conduct a trial over several months of the three-bin collection system involving 300 households.
“About half our household waste is organic waste, such as vegetable peel and coffee grindings,” he said.
“Households involved in the trial will receive a large organics bin, as well as a smaller bin to place in their kitchen specifically for the collection of organic waste.
“This system has the potential to divert up to 61 per cent of kerb-side collected organic material, or 72,000 tonnes a year and by using the Biogas generated by this waste, greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced.
“It is a great way to engage the community in recycling and in greatly reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill.”
The second grant would fund an initiative to tackle the mounting problem of electronic waste.
“In our throwaway society and with the decreasing life span of products, electronic waste is growing at a rapid rate,” the Minister said.
“The State Government has passed legislation which contains the power to introduce mandatory schemes for producers to recycle their products and is also working with the State and Federal Governments to tackle this issue at a national level.
“But it’s great to see moves locally to try to alleviate this problem.
“This grant will enable the councils to conduct a study of interstate and international collection models that will hopefully lead to a pilot program to give households a responsible e-waste disposal option.”
The other regional councils in the Perth metropolitan area, Mindarie, south-east metropolitan and western metropolitan, also will take part in the project.
Mr Templeman said the Carpenter Government had provided more than $600,000 in waste reduction grants to businesses and local governments around the State in the latest round of the Strategic Waste Initiative and Community Grants schemes.
This latest round of waste grants brought the total amount of grants distributed this year to almost $1.5million.
“This is on top of the $5million provided to innovative waste reduction projects through the grants schemes last year,” the Minister said.
“These grants are yet another way the Carpenter Government is using our booming economy to protect our environment, and our future.”
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