Kiama households urged to safely dispose of batteries before joining annual waste drop-off

Kiama residents, take a bow – you’re good sorts.

That is, you’re good at sorting your waste, according to Kiama Council’s Waste Services Manager Guy Stearn.

He said residents were generally well educated and willing to do the right thing when it came to sorting and disposing of their waste.

Residents enthusiastically embraced FOGO when it was introduced and dispose of more than 4800 tonnes of domestic organics each year.

“Our community bins an average of 2150 tonnes of recycling and sends a little over 2600 tonnes of waste to landfill per year. For our waste collection events, our resource recovery rate ranges from 50 to 75 per cent,” Guy said.

Council is expecting another strong turnout for its twice-yearly household bulky waste drop-off, which starts on Saturday (8 March) and runs for nine days.

But before residents start collecting their waste for the drop-off, council is urging them to ensure their rubbish does not contain any batteries.

In the past 12 months, council has seen an increase in waste fires, generally due to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries which have been incorrectly thrown out in household rubbish.

Kiama’s waste department has dealt with two significant fires, one at the Minnamurra Waste and Recycling Facility (waste depot) and one in a recycling truck.

“Many people may not realise that a Li-ion battery is embedded in something like a children’s toy, an electric toothbrush or even their Christmas lights,” Guy said.

“People think they’re doing the right thing by getting rid of battery-powered items once they get old or stop working, which they are, but it’s a big no-no to throw them in with your kerbside bins.”

Council’s waste team is undertaking additional staff training and awareness around safety issues and waste management, and there has been an increased awareness and focus on safety.

Council’s website has been updated with information on what can and can’t be disposed of and staff are raising awareness in the community of the dangers of incorrect battery disposal.

“Our teams on the ground are trained and ready to go, but we need all of our community members to stay vigilant and correctly dispose of their batteries and other items to ensure another successful and safe bulky waste drop-off,” Guy said.

To dispose of lithium batteries, residents should tape the terminals using non-conductive tape and place the battery in the dedicated bin at the Community Recycling Centre.

General household batteries can be recycled at specific retail outlets.

Residents need to register for the drop-off through council’s website and can drop off their unwanted goods at the Minnamurra Waste and Recycling Facility between 8 and 16 March.

All materials must be loose or in unsealed boxes and no bagged items will be accepted.

Council’s Waste Management Officer Josephine St John said the event was a great opportunity for residents to dispose of their unwanted items safely and responsibly.

“There’s also our hugely popular Up4Grabs shed – Kiama’s biggest ‘trash or treasure’ giveaway, which sees thousands of unwanted items re-homed rather than going into landfill,” she said.

“This a great opportunity for community members attending the bulky waste event to grab a secondhand item such as surfboards, bicycles, furniture, books, camping gear and other household items.”