6/02/2014 Late September the MRC, with funding from the Waste Authority, purchased an excavator to assist with the recovery of material from the tip face. The two waste streams targeted are metals, due to its recycling value, and mattresses, which although are recycled are mainly recovered to free up air space. Mattresses are a problem in landfills, as they are not easily compacted and take up a lot of space in landfill compared with other similar weight material. It is hoped that eventually other material, like wood, may also be recovered in the future. In the last four months 585 tonnes of metal and 82 tonnes of mattresses (about 5,000 mattresses) have been pulled off the tip face, largely coming from member council bulk verge collections. This despite some member councils recovering the items off the verge themselves. This resource recovery project has clearly demonstrated just how much useful material has previously been lost to landfill.