Council turns up the heat in war on waste

Innovative machines and artificial intelligence technology are significantly reducing emissions at Noosa’s Eumundi Road landfill facility. 

Mayor Clare Stewart, fellow councillors and staff at the launch of the polystyrene thermal processing machine.

In a boost to Council’s war on waste, Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart and councillors today officially launched a new polystyrene thermal processing machine and Containers for Change reverse vending machine.

The $300,000 investment demonstrates Council’s commitment to finding innovative solutions to reduce landfill waste and save ratepayers money.

“With this technology, we can process polystyrene in-house, sparing an estimated 50 tonnes – the size of two Olympic swimming pools – of polystyrene from ending up in our landfill each year,” the Mayor said.

Gympie Council has committed to sending its polystyrene for processing as part of the newly signed Waste Memorandum of Understanding agreement between the two councils.

“We saw in February 2022 with the pontoons that washed ashore in Noosa during the floods, just how environmentally destructive polystyrene can be to Noosa, so this thermal compactor is a real game-changer,” she said.

The thermal compactor works by heating up polystyrene waste and compressing it into small, solid bricks. This process reduces the material's size by 90%, making it more manageable and cost-effective to transport for repurposing into new products. 

Waste Services Manager Kyrone Dodd encouraged residents to make use of the facility and contribute to the circular economy.

“Unfortunately, people can’t put polystyrene in their yellow lidded bins, but we do encourage them to store it and bring it to Noosa’s Eumundi Road waste facility so it can be repurposed rather than sent to landfill,” he said.

"Not only does this machine save us over $380,000 annually in landfill costs, but it also helps us reduce emissions and conserve valuable landfill space."

The installation of a reverse vending machine (RVM) as part of the Containers for Change container refund scheme is proving popular at the Eumundi Road landfill facility.

In a partnership with Ecoboxtec, the RVM has a combination of four identification methods, including shape recognition using AI to accept eligible drink containers.

Ecoboxtec Director Julien Craeye said the easy-to-use machine reduces handling, logistics and CO2 emissions.

“We have received incredibly positive feedback from users who find it quick and convenient in processing drink containers for a refund,” he said.

“Recycling one tonne of aluminium cans through the machine saves 6.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions,” Mr Craeye said.

Mayor Stewart said Council was tackling waste head-on and identifying opportunities to turn waste into a resource.

“These two new machines are tangible examples of how Council is diverting recyclable material from landfill to both reduce emissions and conserve landfill space,” she said.