In good news for the community, Port Phillip Council has secured the recycling services of Cleanaway Waste Management Limited, which today announced it has purchased the assets of SKM Recycling Group.
Following the collapse of SKM in July 2019, Council was forced to divert 1,541.04 tonnes of recyclables to landfill, at a cost of $190,468.
Council entered into a short-term agreement with SKM receiver KordaMentha and recommenced household recycling on Monday 30 September.
Mayor Dick Gross said the contract with Cleanaway would provide certainty for residents.
“Council welcomes Cleanaway’s acquisition of SKM and we are pleased to announce our new recycling contract. As Cleanaway takes over SKM assets, including the Laverton North processing plant, we are confident there will be no disruptions to kerbside recycling for our community,” Cr Gross said.
He thanked residents for their commitment to recycling.
“Our community is passionate about recycling and by working with Cleanaway, Council can deliver the level of service our community expects,” he said.
“The crisis has highlighted the need to ‘future-proof’ the recycling industry by all tiers of government.”
Residents should ensure they put the right materials out for recycling to reduce contamination in the recycling stream. By doing this, the result will be a better product for the processors and the environment.
Waste which cannot be put in recycling bins includes:
- soft plastics, such as plastic bags
- expanded polystyrene foam used in take-away coffee cups and packaging
- glass from broken glasses, windows or mirrors
- nappies
- food scraps.
Completion of the Cleanaway acquisition is expected by the end of October.
Background
On 9 October, Cleanaway Waste Management Limited advised it was the successful bidder for the acquisitions of the assets of SKM Recycling Group, including the Laverton North processing plant which processes Port Phillip Council’s kerbside recycling.
Council have entered into a short-term contract with Cleanaway until early 2020 when the Metro Waste Resource Recovery Group will go to public tender to secure a recycling provider for its 30 member councils, including Port Phillip.
