Traralgon’s wisdom goes to waste

CFA achieved a Waste Wise Bronze Certificate for our recycling efforts at the State Junior Urban Championships in Traralgon in February.

Traralgon CFA’s First Lieutenant, Ale Eenjes (centre) and Officer in Charge, Peter Lockwood accept the award from Gippsland Regional Waste Management Group Representative, Lisa Benn

Everyone at the event – competitors, spectators, vendors, exhibitors and officials – embraced the chance to recycle and reduce their environmental impact.

By ‘doing the right thing’ and placing plastic bottles, aluminium cans and cardboard into recycling bins, CFA diverted one skip of waste from landfill.

Because waste in landfill creates methane gas (a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming), having less waste going to landfill reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling also saves energy, water and other resources.

• Recycling aluminium saves a significant amount of energy. Producing 20 cans from recycled materials uses the same power as making one can from raw materials.
• Recycling steel cans saves 87% of the energy it takes to make new cans from raw materials, i.e. iron ore and coal.
• Producing paper from recycled paper pulp uses 60-70% less energy and 55% less water than manufacturing from virgin pulp.
• Crude oil, gas, coal and waste from petroleum refining all go into making plastics – and these materials come from non-renewable resources.

Source: Sustainability Victoria

Congratulations to the team at Traralgon!