The importance our community places on sustainability saw Wingecarribee Shire come away from last night’s AgSafe Stewardship Awards, a winner. The team at our Community Recycling Centre (CRC) were thrilled to take the trophy in the drumMUSTER Collection Facility of the Year category, in recognition of the great work they do to actively engage our community in recycling.
The Awards ceremony was well attended, as this is a significant year to be among the 46 nominees from all over Australia. In 2023, the AgSafe Awards celebrates 30 years of dedicated agricultural and veterinary Chemical Stewardship Programs, and 25 years of the drumMUSTER recycling program. “This year’s theme was a shift in focus to embrace sustainability through the value chain,” says WSC Manager Waste & Resource Recovery, Clinton McAlister.
“Winning this award is an acknowledgement of the importance our community places on sustainability and the CRC’s commitment to reflecting those values,” Clinton said.
It is especially rewarding for Wingecarribee Shire to have been successful in the drumMUSTER Outstanding Collection Facility category, given the integral part agriculture plays in our Shire’s community and local economy.
“We’re fortunate to have a rural community here that is so committed to recycling,” Clinton said.
Developed with the environment in mind, drumMUSTER is a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Stewardship Program that provides reliable, cost-effective pathways for the recycling of eligible, empty AgVet chemical containers.
In partnership with our CRC, the program encourages industry to responsibly dispose of drums containing hazardous chemicals by ‘rinsing them out, rounding them up and running them in to their local collection point. “And our rural community has really rallied behind the initiative,” Clinton said. “Our surrounding agricultural properties drop-off their clean chemical containers to the CRC for collection by drumMUSTER. Drums that have contained insecticides, herbicides or animal health products, are recycled into re-usable products for practical use in the community, such as wheely bins, road signs and fence posts.”
By working hand-in hand with AgVet chemical manufacturers, farming associations, State Government, and local Councils like WSC to establish collection facilities all over Australia, drumMUSTER and has so far recycled more than 40million containers. A , great outcome of industry-wide collaboration, for the environment.
“We congratulate our passionate CRC team for getting behind this industry-wide initiative, along with local industry and the many community members, who have collectively contributed to this exciting win for the region. Together, we’re achieving great outcomes toward shaping a better future for our Shire,” said Council Administrator Mr Viv May.
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