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Weipa moves into the 21 1 century with the installation of the BottleCycler bottle crushing system.The bottle crushing system has been supplied to the Albatross Hotel by Transpacific Cleanaway as part of their commitment to reducing the volume of waste at the Weipa landfill.
The regional manager of Transpacific Cleanaway Mark Hilton described bottle crushing as the way of the future. It's compact and so quiet it could even be comfortably positioned behind the bar. The bottle crusher wheelie bin itself handles a 60 litre bin which holds 350 stubbies or 200 wine bottles. The average contents of 10 bar bins will now fit into one compact easy to roll out wheelie bin.
Crushing empty glass bottles means an 80% reduction in glass volume going into landfill. The Albatross Hotel will also be supplied with bins for cardboard and aluminium cans which is part of an overall strategy of looking at managing waste better through both recycling and improved handling systems.
Installing the BottleCycler is part of an overall strategy to demonstrate to the local hospitality industry that you can be environmentally responsible and still be economically viable. Mr Hilton explained.
The Manager of the Albatross Hotel, Colleen, said the new bottle crusher and recycling strategy was fantastic. Colleen said, It's really quiet and really amazing. It is making a difference in our waste management and is also good for the environment.
Obviously there needed to be some training for the staff and they are supportive of the new system. All we need to do is educate the patrons on recycling and what we are trying to achieve. Clarkey who does most of the bottle crushing said it can convert 10 wheelie bins of empty bottles and glasses into just one.
It has already cut back on the number of trips to the tip each week by a quarter and when we are fully up to speed I expect we can cut it in half almost, said Clarkey. Shane Bousen for the Weipa Town Authority said it was good to actually see that it does achieve positive results. Not only does it cut back on the amount of landfill at the Weipa Tip but recycling in this instance has also created a saving on tip fees and a saving on time for the Albatross Hotel and staff.
Recycling bottles, cans and cardboard in this manner is good business for everybody and is doing the environment a favour at the same time. I would encourage any business to speak with Cleanaway and see if there may be some benefit to their business to consider these types of recycling processes.
The Albatross Hotel extends and invitation to anybody who has an interest in the new bottle crusher to contact either Colleen or Clarkey for more information.
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