Tweed Shire Council kicks off a new 10-year waste collection and recycling contract with Solo Resource Recovery today, with a fleet of garbage collection trucks set to deliver an important message to residents.
Council’s Acting Director Sustainable Communities and Environment, Stewart Brawley says the vehicles are a visually-engaging representation of how Council aims to meet its Towards Zero Waste commitment with the support of the community.
Council’s goal is to divert 70% of household waste from landfill by 2025 to reduce its impact on the environment.
Four new designs for the collection trucks will be on display, promoting the ‘less to landfill’ message.
Tenders for the waste contract were called in early 2021, with Council resolving at its October 2021 meeting to accept Solo’s tender.
It is the largest single contract Council manages and will now continue until 2032.
Solo Resource Recovery trucks currently collect around 118,000 bins every fortnight in the Tweed and, as part of the new contract, will include the recycling of bulky kerbside goods.
The contract will also see Solo plant 5,000 native trees in the Northern Rivers.
“This year marks 90 years of service in the Tweed for Solo and during the upcoming 10-year contract period, we will celebrate 100 years of waste collection for the Tweed community by the Richards family,” Mr Brawley said.
“The first services commenced in 1932 for the removal and disposal of night soil in the Municipality of Murwillumbah, moving from day labour – horse and cart – to contract – automobile collection.
“Council and Solo are proud of the increased diversion of waste from landfill through innovative collection initiatives. We are now diverting more than 60% of waste from landfill as part of Council’s Towards Zero Waste Strategy and we have set a goal to improve this to 70% over the next three years.
“Solo has continually risen to meet the needs of the Tweed community, pushing to improve environmental waste practices and even supporting our community through our recent devastating floods, despite themselves being severely impacted,” he said.
Solo Managing Director, Robert Richards said the company was proud to be working with the Tweed community for another 10 years.
“The history we have with the Tweed community is based on being part of the community and we are pleased to be working in partnership with Council as part of the Towards Zero Waste commitment,” Mr Richards said.
“This contract will continue to support 133 employees within the Tweed, ranging from administration and engineering to collection services and recycling.
“The new service includes 13 new trucks that have been engineered and constructed locally in the Tweed at Solo’s Engineering Division ‘Rico Recovery Systems’ at Chinderah.”
Messaging on each truck is aligned with Council’s goal to: ‘Work together to reduce our impact on the natural environment and adapt to climate change for a sustainable future’.
The trucks will include the messages: ‘Less to landfill – Working together to reduce our impact on the environment’, ‘Recycling – Give new lifeOrganics – Turn scraps into soil’, ‘Recycle these items’.
Mr Brawley said Council wanted the community to feel compelled to look after the Tweed region and protect the environment.
“We can all do this by reducing waste, sending less to landfill, using the bins correctly, and using the red bin as a last resort,” he said.
