KING Island Lions, since its Charter in 1969 have raised funds through recycling.
At first it was car batteries, collected, drained and sent off the island any way possible.
Monies received was used for club community projects around the island. The collection and crushing of aluminium drink cans soon followed as did the collection of non-ferrous metals.
Club members devised several unique ways of reducing the cans to the smallest size possible for shipment, including running over them with tractors, flattening them individually through two moving tyres to what we use today, a wool press, on permanent loan to us by Rod Graham.
Our recycle project is still in operation and the major fund raiser.
We endeavour to fill a container with recyclable goods each year to ship off island. All this would not be possible without the assistance and generous ongoing support from Hydro, King Island Council, Jim McKenzie Agencies, Currie Cargoes, King Island Ports and their workers. Local business and community members also play a part, by placing aluminium cans, batteries and non-ferrous metals in the appropriate facilities around town or at the Charles Street facility.
All too often a lot of time is taken up by volunteers removing rubbish from the bins and wire cages meant only for aluminium cans. There are roughly 5000 cans squashed in a wool bale, which weighs around 70kg. At present for aluminium cans we receive 0.70c/kg. We have been using new wool bales, due to the unavailability of used wool bales, at a cost of roughly $17 hence the club receives about $33 for each bale Not a big return for our time and labour collecting and squashing cans.
Please fremember the only cans we recycle are aluminium.
Dog food and pantry steel cans, general refuse and other rubbish is not recycled and volunteers do the messy job of sorting it from the aluminium cans. Please think before using the cage bins for your rubbish.