Gympie Tip Fees Set To Rise

Gympie Regional Council says its decision to increase tip fees by as much as 60 per cent next financial year has been prompted by the introduction of the State Government’s Waste Levy … the levy’s effect on South Burnett tip fees remains unknown (Photo: SBRC)

April 24, 2019

Gympie Regional Council (GRC) residents will soon have to pay substantially more to dump rubbish at Council tips.

On Wednesday, GRC voted to increase its tip fees for 2019-20, blaming the State Government’s Waste Levy which comes into force on July 1 for the rise.

Under the Council’s new fee schedule – which will also apply from July 1 – the cost for taking up to a wheelie bin’s worth of rubbish to a GRC landfill will increase from $5.40 to $6.50.

The cost of a ute, van or single axle trailer load will rise to $28.90 (up from $17).

Owners of larger trailers and light commercial vehicles will pay $60 (up from $36) to dispose of their rubbish.

Concrete disposal charges will increase to $98 per tonne; tyre disposal costs will rise between 11-17 per cent; and loads of 500kg or higher will be charged $219 per tonne.

The State Government passed legislation to introduce the Waste Levy in February.

It said the aim of the Levy was to discourage interstate waste dumping, promote recycling and help transition Queensland to a zero-waste future.

It set the initial Waste Disposal Levy at $75 per tonne for general waste, rising to between $105 and $155 per tonne for certain classes of regulated waste.

The State Government promised the levy would have no effect on household wheelie bin collections.

To do this, it will return 70 per cent of the money the levy raises to councils, the waste industry and environmental programs.

On Wednesday, South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell said no decision had yet been made on the South Burnett’s landfill fees for 2019-20.

The SBRC currently charges fees for the disposal of tyres, liquid paints and electrical appliances that require degassing (such as refrigerators, freezers and water heat pump systems).

It also charges $37 per tonne for the disposal of construction and demolition waste; $100 per tonne for commercial and industrial waste; and $82 to $164 per cubic metre for asbestos disposal.

However, green waste and common household waste currently attracts no fees at all.

Mayor Campbell said it was possible the State Government’s Waste Levy would require Council to increase fees, but it would not be possible to say what those were until Budget discussions had finished.

The Mayor said he was also aware that higher tip fees in an adjoining region might encourage residents who lived within easy driving distance to use the South Burnett’s facilities instead.

The Council is expected to bring down its 2019-20 Budget before the end of June.

The Council’s Fees and Charges schedule – which includes Council landfill charges – is usually introduced a few weeks in advance of the Budget to allow sufficient time to update Council’s IT systems.

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