'Detox Your Home' Collects 2.5 Tonnes

‘Detox Your Home’ in Bass Coast Shire last month collected 2.5 tonnes of unwanted chemicals from households across Bass Coast and South Gippsland shires.

Forty-nine people registered for the event run by Bass Coast Shire Council and Sustainability Victoria, with 57 people in total dropping off an average of 43 kilograms of chemical waste each.

Director on the Gippsland Waste Group, Councillor Bradley Drew, said the volume collected is equal to nearly 2,500 one-litre paint tins.

“The most common products collected were paint, propane gas and flammable liquid,” Cr Drew said.

“Most importantly, 2,443 kilograms of household chemical products has been recovered for recycling and kept out of Victorian landfills.”

Council’s landfill site at Grantville is not licenced to dispose of potentially hazardous liquid wastes like paint, thinners and other household or farming chemicals.

Currently there is only one permanent Detox Your Home drop off site in the Gippsland region at Morwell Transfer Station.

Council is investigating a proposal by the State Government to set up another permanent regional drop off site at Wonthaggi Transfer Station.

Cr Drew said people who missed the Bass Coast collection event still have options.

“Small quantities of paint can be tipped on to newspaper or kitty litter, left to dry and disposed of as general rubbish.

“The empty paint tins can then be recycled for free in household recycling bins or via a Transfer Station,” Cr Drew said.

“Larger quantities of paint or chemicals can be taken to Morwell, or residents can store them and look out for future Detox Your Home mobile collection events.”

Cr Drew said Melbourne-based property owners and rural property owners have additional options available to them.

“We would certainly encourage Melbourne-based property owners to make use of the 14 chemical disposal sites located across the metropolitan area,” Cr Drew said.

“Rural property owners can also access the ChemClear and DrumMuster programs which are national schemes to help recycle empty drums and leftover veterinary and agricultural chemicals.”

Farmers can do an inventory of their unwanted chemicals and register for a collection by ChemClear on 1800 008 182.

Empty chemical drums are accepted at Grantville Landfill, which is a collection point for the DrumMuster program, but drums must be triple-rinsed in accordance with DrumMuster Rinsing Guidelines.

For more information visit Bass Coast Shire