Batteries, electronic waste, clothes and soft plastic are among the list of rubbish being dealt with via a Hunter-first initiative in Maitland.
RecycleSmart has collected problem waste from local households for the past 12 months.
Anything that can’t be placed in the yellow bins is being collected from doorsteps for free, each month.
And, the savvy service is now being extended until June 2024, after residents gave it the thumbs up.
Under the trial, all households in the Maitland LGA can request two bags of recycling be collected using the RecycleSmart app.
As the only LGA in the Hunter to offer this service to its residence, Maitland City Council witnessed an estimated 53,500 litres of waste collected from households since November 2022.
Council’s manager environment and sustainability Catherine Pepper says the RecycleSmart app is helping the city move closer to its environmental targets.
“Positive feedback from the community was a key factor in shaping the decision to extend the trial,” she said.
“The initiative is a response to the community’s overwhelming support for increasing our efforts in recycling and resource recovery, with the goal of working towards the state government set targets of 80% waste materials diverted away from landfill by 2030.
“Extending the trial will also provide us with more data and greater insight to work with around resource recovery, particularly for items that are tricky to recycle, like batteries, old clothes and soft plastics.”
The trial now overlaps with the recent introduction of council’s new bulky waste collection service, which started earlier this month.
Maitland City’s new kerbside bulky waste collection service will accept mattresses, e-waste, non refrigerated white goods, furniture, scrap metal (including BBQs), bundled green waste and flooring, like carpet, rugs or linoleum.
Residents can learn what can be recycled for free using the program by visiting www.recyclesmart.com.
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