'It's what's needed in Orange': Recycling project a boost for Wangarang's future says CEO Kevin McGuire

Costing the not-for-profit organisation over $1.1 million, the project was approved by Orange City Council this month and will take the pressure of the Return-And-Earn reverse vending machine in the shopping centre carpark at north Orange.

While residents will delight in dual-lane, covered facility that enables them to tip their recyclable bottles and cans into a hopper before it is quickly sorted for electronic payment, the project also has enormous benefits for Wangarang's employees according to CEO Kevin McGuire.

"This operation, that will provide additional employment for people with disabilities, has the potential to future-proof this organisation," he said.

"It is really in tune to a not-for-profit organisation like ourselves, and the added benefit I see for us is that it provide another stream of employment and skills for people with disabilities - we'll have people driving forklifts and little trucks, and they'll be supported of course, but it's just a completely different style of employment to what we've been able to offer in the past.

"Plus, it's what's needed in Orange."

Mr McGuire said waste experts TOMRA-Cleanaway, who have been working with Wangarang through the existing

Return-and-Earn machines in Orange, would install four recycling machines, or singulators, once a large shed was constructed at the company's Forest Road site.

"The [recycling] process, as we understand it, will be very quick for people," Mr McGuire said.

"The [singulators] will handle high volumes ... the most frustrating thing with those reverse vending machines is not only are you sitting there putting one thing through at a time, but you might be in a line with two or three people and before you get there, the machine shuts down. That's a turn-off for a lot of people

"In a city our size, we need one of these."

The project requires the dismantling of a shed, which will be rebuilt on another area of the site while the driveaway which will circle the existing buildings before entering the shed will also be created.

While most major inland cities in NSW have a similar facility with singulators, including Bathurst which takes a lot of Orange's traffic, Mr McGuire said Wangarang's project was exciting because it was starting with a greenfield site as opposed to a repurposed building.

"A greenfield site means the project will be state-of-the-art and designed for purpose," he said.

Mr McGuire said Wangarang, which would celebrate 60 years operation next month, had always been supported by the Orange community so it planned to repay some that support by using local contracts for the project.

The support of Orange City Council and TOMRA-Cleanaway was also crucial in getting the project off the ground once the latter determined Wangarang was turning over enough volume to justify a local plant.

"It's going to provide another stream of employment for us to achieve our vision and mission for people with disabilities."

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