TURNING one person's trash into another person's treasure has become an everyday task for Michael Barker, except the trash is actually recyclable plastics, glass, household goods and electronic appliances.
In fact a person can opt to turn their own trash into their own treasure, as long as they volunteer the same amount of time to assist with the conversion of others recyclable waste also.
Geraldton and Mid West EWaste was borne from Mr Barkers' frustration at being out of work and having exhausted all possible work-for-the-dole schemes, that were both disheartening and dead ends.
"I wanted to be busy doing something and something worthwhile," Mr Barker said.
"I started by scrapping a few washing machines and fridges from home.
"Then I just thought, well why don't I give it a go at making it a business."
Mr Barker said the next step involved him drawing up a business plan in the space of three weeks and he leased a shed and gave it a go.
Geraldton and Mid West EWaste started its operations just over two years ago and within the space of a year the yard was full of appliances ready to be recycled.
"I haven't looked back since," Mr Barker said.
"It went ballistic.
"I thought I would be busy, I never thought I would be this busy and I never thought the yard would get so full so quickly."
Mr Barker said it was amazing to see the response from the local community to recycling and now they have diversified into accepting plastics and glass too.
The business is on a quarter acre block and to have this space almost completely full was testament to the willingness of the local community to not only recycle, but to support a local business.
"Geraldton had not had any glass recycling in 30 years" Mr Barker said.
"It stopped when the Swan Brewery stopped collecting glass bottles.
"There is also very little plastic recycling available, Geraldton only has a transfer station."
Mr Barker said the Geraldton stockpile of plastics that built up at the transfer station was sent to Cleanaway in Perth, which unfortunately saw both its Bayswater and Guildford sites decimated by fire in October and November, 2019.
The compacting of plastics causes a build up of heat, which eventually leads to combustion, this is why Geraldton and Mid West EWaste does not compact the plastics it has onsite, rather storing them in large bags to be shredded.
But the biggest problem with the way plastics are recycled here in Western Australia, according to Mr Barker, is that they are merely collected and transported to be sent overseas and recycled in countries like China.
He said the sheer cost of transport alone negated the viability of recycling.
"We can actually recycle an industrial photocopier up to 98 per cent of its parts," Mr Barker said.
"We can recycle everything except the rubber.
"When you pull it apart, we can recycle the glass and plastic right here, the steel can be sent to China for smelting and the circuit boards can be sent to India and even some to Perth.
"Overseas have these massive multi-million dollar machines and equipment that sorts all the parts after shredding.
"But sending it overseas costs a fortune and it is not viable for the long-term.
"You are saving heaps on freight by having it pulled apart here and doing what we are doing.
"My hope is to eventually eliminate as much transport as possible in the recycling industry in the Mid West, because transport is the killer of recycling."
Another recycling positive was the Containers For Change initiative being launched in WA but Mr Barker said this would only take certain types of plastics, glass and aluminium, so it would not have an impact on his business at all.
"We have always taken all sorts of plastic and glass," Mr Barker said.
"I am concentrating on taking all the plastic that Containers For Change won't take - they will only take number one plastics, I will take styrofoam meat trays, other numbers of plastic, any plastic.
"I also think containers for change shouldn't have included aluminium, as this was already being recycled really well by the scrap metal businesses and now they will lose this as part of their business.
"My way of thinking is that it is better being a pot or storage box, than it is being in landfill."
With such a positive outlook for the recycling industry in the Mid West, it is no wonder his small business has been received so well and has become a hub for Scout and school groups wanting assist and learn more about recycling.
"We have had so many tour groups from schools and scouts and other places come through," Mr Barker said.
"The Landsdale Christian College students come and help every year as part of their volunteering program, which is really helpful and they learn so much.
"When the Scout group came through, we had 29 kids here helping to pull apart everything and anything they could get their hands on.
"It was so great to see them so enthusiastic about recycling and learning what parts are recyclable and what we can do with them."
At the moment the business is solely run by unpaid volunteers, including Mr Barker himself.
"At the moment on any given day we have four to six volunteers at the yard," Mr Barker said.
"We also have three special needs volunteers and their carers who all come in and help out at different times.
"Hopefully in the future we will be able to pay some employees and have volunteers also."
To aid in this hope for the future Mr Barker said they have applied for some government grants that could really help the business expand and work towards its recycling goals for Geraldton and the greater Mid West, including a three-bin scheme like the ones used by some Perth councils.
The project has not been without its hiccups and problems and Mr Barker has taken these in his stride with the same positive can-do attitude, working to resolve any issues that have arisen and keep the business on track.
"My biggest issue was that the land we are on was supposedly zoned light industrial," Mr Barker said.
"But it was actually zoned commercial, so we were actually issued with a fine.
"We were able to sort it out with the help of the council.
"Then the Water and Environmental Protection agency received a complaint, but they came in and helped us out, by guiding us."
Mr Barker said once they shredded the plastic it became micro plastic and this was why at present they were only processing small parts at a time, so they were able to keep the micro plastics under control and utilise them immediately.
The machines he currently utilises to process the recycling are also recycled themselves.
"To melt the plastic to mould the pots we use a heat transfer press," Mr Barker said.
"It is actually an old press for putting the transfers onto T-shirts.
"We use a couple of old industrial dryers to break down the glass into aggregate."
The gloss aggregate can be taken down to two grades, being 4-6 millimetre aggregate and the other being sand.
"This aggregate can be used in concrete and road base," Mr Barker said.
"It is not sharp as it has been tumbled, so is very similar to ocean tumbled glass.
"Perth councils have been using it for years in their road base, we have made progress with the Geraldton council more recently.
"If they can get the product locally and for a good price, then why not?
"We have 220 tonnes of processed glass onsite, once this goes we can start to process more."
The plastic stockpile is also large and the business has been unable to take more recycling since last November, but is hoping to start again in the next eight weeks or so.
At the moment it is all about timing and space, with the shredding of plastic only done in smaller batches to eliminate risks involved with micro plastic.
"The pots take time and we are working on a small scale," Mr Barker said.
"We are also working on other products like a storage box, around milk crate size and dust pans.
"We are working on the prototypes of these and hopefully in the next month we will have some on our shelves."
Mr Barker said people were prepared to pay more for their products, as compared to a brand commercial item because it is recycled.
"Especially if they know it has been made from the recycling they have brought in themselves," he said.
"Our biggest problem with the products is the form.
"We need to be able to simply form it and quickly, because the plastic will cool quickly.
"With the basic tools we are using, we are trying to keep it simple and build up slowly."
The enthusiasm Mr Barker has for recycling is obvious and his passion to make the difference is infectious.
With such big plans for the future we hope he is able to make the difference that is needed.
