The Western Australian Government has announced a new Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) treatment facility will be due to open by the end of 2020.
A new facility for householders to safely dispose of hazardous waste such as paint, batteries and chemicals is to be opened in Fremantle, located in Perth’s metropolitan area.
Funding of $50,000 has been set aside for the facility, which will be part of the existing recycling centre at Montreal Street, Fremantle.
The program is funded through the state’s waste levy and delivered in partnership with the Waste Authority and the Western Australian Local Government Association.
The allocated $50,000 funding for the Fremantle facility will be used to build the HHW storage facility, plus purchase equipment to enable City of Fremantle staff to safely accept, handle and store the dropped off HHW materials.
The Fremantle facility will bring the number of HHW collection points in the state to 14 with nine of those in the metropolitan area.
“The Fremantle facility is expected to be operational by late 2020 and will be open to all households, not just those in Fremantle,” the state government said in a statement.
Currently the closest HHW facilities to Fremantle are in Shenton Park and Henderson, both more than 14 kilometres away.
A range of hazardous materials are accepted through the program including aerosols, batteries, paints and flares.
Stephen Dawson, WA Environment Minister, said most West Australians want to do the right thing with their waste and they want to recycle right.
“Having a facility such as the new Fremantle Hazardous Household Waste facility will provide households with a local collection point to drop off all their unwanted HHW materials and help reduce the environmental damage caused by incorrect disposal,” he said.
“Not only will the new facility provide a safe disposal method for hazardous material, it will also provide the opportunity for that material to be recycled into something useful.”
Simone McGurk, Fremantle MLA, said there are many opportunities for recycling that the region can improve upon.
“I am proud to be part of a state government that prioritises initiatives like this Household Hazardous Waste collection facility, which will enable Fremantle residents to reduce their environmental footprint by bringing less waste to landfill,” she said.
There is no charge to use HHW facilities in WA. Once collected, materials including plastic containers, batteries, fluorescent lights, gas cylinders are recycled where possible.
Materials such as flammable liquids and paint are recycled into fuel for specialist applications, and acids and alkalis are neutralised and disposed of safely.
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