By Tate Papworth
By Tate Papworth and Laura Michell
Recycling collections have resumed in Brimbank.
The council struck a deal with SKM receivers, KordaMentha to have Brimbank’s recycling sent to SKM’s Laverton North processing facility from today.
A massive 2314 tonnes of recyclable material from across Brimbank was dumped in landfill for more than eight weeks, after SKM Recycling announced on July 25 that it would cease accepting collections.
The council was left $185,000 out of pocket as a result of the closure and has submitted an application to the state government’s funding assistance package to reclaim the additional costs.
SKM was wound up by the Supreme Court on August 2. The decision left 33 councils across Melbourne without access to a recycling facility.
Brimbank mayor Lucinda Congreve said the council had been working since July to get the municipality’s recycling back on track.
“We expect this interim agreement to remain in place until such time as a new owner takes over the recycling facility, at which point council will need to negotiate another contract,” she said. “We know this has been a frustrating and disappointing time for our community, and we thank residents for the understanding and patience they have demonstrated over the last couple of months.
“I would like to acknowledge the many community members who have made every effort to reduce the amount of waste and recycling they’ve been producing.”
She said the interim agreement is a step forward.
“The interim agreement we have signed with receivers, KordaMentha, means our community’s recycling is once again being sent to a dedicated recycling processing facility,” she said. “We have assurance that material delivered to the Laverton North recycling facility will be processed on the same day to avoid any build-up of recycling materials.”
