Unitywater lightens the load on landfill

Unitywater will divert 200 tonnes of waste away from landfill, thanks to a recycling program that will see almost 90% of the old Cooroy Sewage Treatment Plant re-used.

Working with demolition and recycling experts Caylamax Group, materials including metals, timber and masonry will be reclaimed by Unitywater or provided to local suppliers for redistribution.

Unitywater Project Manager David Goodall said the weight of the materials being diverted from landfill as a result of the recycling initiative was equivalent to 200 cars.

“Better still, we are turning our waste into valuable resources that can be used again,” Goodall said.

“This is both environmentally responsible and economically smart.”

Australians are the second highest producers of waste per person in the world, with each of us sending almost 690 kg of waste to landfill each year. Up to 40% of waste generated by Australians is considered to be building waste.

Caylamax Group General Manager Steve Brady said the company was recycling as many building materials from the old Cooroy plant as possible through its demolition works.

“We are grinding up concrete, separating metals and saving old timber,” Brady said.

“Those materials that cannot be re-used by Unitywater will go to local landscaping and salvage yards for their use.”

Unitywater is undergoing one of the most significant sewage treatment plant upgrade programs in Australia, upgrading 12 of its 18 plants.

The new $19 million Cooroy Sewage Treatment Plant was completed and officially opened earlier this year. Benefits of the upgrade include:

• the ability to cater for the predicted population growth and demand on the sewerage system until 2026
• increased capacity to allow the Pomona community to connect to the sewerage system
• improved treatment standards
• improved odour control
• reduced noise levels.