A new Lavington recycling hub will provide rapid processing of bottles and cans and turn shredded cardboard into fire lighting bricks.
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The centre in Catherine Crescent is due to open in March and is the brainchild of Heather Goesch and Bruce Forbes who operate Billabong Recycling.
They established their firm at Walla in January last year with a shipping container to collect drink containers that qualify for a 10-cent refund under the NSW Return and Earn scheme.
The pair now have four big shipping boxes at Walla and two more at Holbrook's sporting complex and travel from Urana to Jingellic collecting bottles and cans.
In August last year, Ms Goesch and Mr Forbes set up a depot in an industrial shed in Lavington and now have processed 2.2 million containers.
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However, their impending move to Catherine Crescent will result in throughput skyrocketing because there will be two automated machines which can speedily process bottles and cans.
"They can do up to 100 items per minute, they're amazing to watch, it's a big production and so quick," Ms Goesch said.
The public will be able to leave their containers and have them processed and then be paid without having to do their own drop-off as occurs at machines around Albury.
"Old people struggle at the machines, they have to do it all themselves, and these things make it a lot easier," Ms Goesch said.
The former accountant said it was hoped one million items per month will be processed by the units which are supplied by Tomra-Cleanaway.
A cardboard brick-making enterprise will run alongside the machines with hopes up to 2000 blocks will be produced each week.
It has sprung from not wanting to waste cardboard boxes used to carry bottles and cans left with Billabong Enterprises.
"We've taken a lot of cardboard to the tip and we'd like not to take anything," Ms Goesch said.
Red Bantam, which employs people with disabilities, has been shredding cardboard for Billabong Recycling.
Ms Goesch hopes to employ up to 30 staff with disabilities at Catherine Crescent and have them make bricks from the shreds.
This week she invited not-for-profit employee groups to see the bricks that will sell as sets of eight for $20.
Northcott Albury area manager Michaela Pascolutti has three customers with intellectual disabilities that she believes would be suitable for the work.
"We're really excited," she said.
"It's good there's another option because there's not enough meaningful employment opportunities."
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